


Love Behind Masks

by Hufflehobbit_writes



Series: Peacock's Cry [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is a romantic sweetheart who really ought to be in therapy, Adrienette-but-not-really, Building trust despite keeping secrets, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First time tagging a story help?, Plagg gives terrible advice, Relationship peer pressure, Secret Relationship, Teen Romance, Teenagers do dumb things when they're nervous, fun-with-costumes, ladrien, which is sometimes unexpectedly good advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 18:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14290989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hufflehobbit_writes/pseuds/Hufflehobbit_writes
Summary: Ladybug loves Adrien. Adrien loves Ladybug. But relationships get so complicated when everyone involved has secret identities, public reputations, and nosy friends. And safety always has to come before romance. Contains humor and lots of adorableness, but also characters addressing serious issues head-on. Rated teen+ conservatively, mostly because of Adrien's emotionally abusive father.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first-ever work of short fiction. Comments and kudos appreciated, it'll help me figure out whether I should stick with fiction-writing. This work is complete, but there will be a (darker) sequel. Crossposted at fanfiction.net.
> 
> This fic was written before Gorizilla or Captain Hardrock came out, and it diverges pre-Gorizilla. Contains serious spoilers for Season 2 Episode 1, and less spoileriffic references to other Season 2 episodes.

The Uglifier stood on top of the fountain, yelling his manifesto in a voice amplified by his akuma: "You all looked down on me because I wasn't beautiful, but now *none of you* will be beautiful! From now on, you'll be ugly on the outside as well as the inside, and you will never dare to laugh at me again!"

Ladybug stood on a roof overlooking the square. She'd followed the sound of screaming and the trail of weird, zombie-like monsters the akumatized victim had left behind-- apparently an "uglified" victim not only looked like the products of the world's worst special effects makeup artist trying to copy Picasso, but became stupid and aggressive too-- but it looked like she was in luck. While he was ranting, he wasn't attacking, and it probably meant he hadn't been around for very long. She would put money on this one being Chloe's fault. Again.

"YOU!" came the booming voice from the square. "You're exactly what I hate most, you spoiled beautiful rich kid!" Ladybug followed his gaze across the square to find.... Adrien?! Standing in front of one of the advertisements he'd modelled for, worse luck, looking around at the fleeing crowd-- no chance of persuading the Uglifier that this was a case of mistaken identity. Her reflexes kicked in while she was still gazing in horror, swinging across the square to snatch Adrien up moments before the Uglifier's green slimeball hit the ground where he had been standing. It wasn't until they were quite a few rooftops away that she stopped and set him down, shoving him into what looked like a gardener's shed from someone's rooftop garden. She stared at him urgently. "He's looking for you. Stay here. I know it's inconvenient, but you'll be safe here, I'll come get you after the battle's over. Just... trust me." With a slam of the door and the quiet "click" of the latch outside closing, she was gone.

* * *

Adrien sighed. "You know, Plagg, I don't mind her rescuing me, but what is it with Ladybug sticking me in boxes so far away from the akuma? This one wasn't even chasing me, I was just a convenient target. You'd think a block or two away would be sufficient, and then it'd be faster to get back. Also, can you get the latch?"

Plagg floated through the door, and in a slightly muffled voice said "Well.... maybe she likes you." The latch clicked open, and Adrien was out in an instant.

"We need to go help her! Plagg, claws.... wait, *what* did you say?" Adrian froze mid-pose as Plagg's comment sank in, and stared at the kwami.

"Maybe she likes you. I mean, when Paris was attacked by those horrible cheese-eating akuma"-- Plagg shuddered visibly-- " the first thing I did was to lock up my precious camembert so it would be safe. So maybe you're her camembert. Humans and their weird tastes...."

"Her.... Plagg, she barely knows me! Or at least, she barely knows Adrien. She's only seen me a few times without the mask on, and she doesn't know it's me! I mean, she doesn't know I'm Chat Noir.... oh, you know what I mean. How could she like *me*?"

"How should I know? You humans are weird. But why complain? You keep saying you love her, she likes you, go with it! Enjoy yourself! You're making things too complicated."

"But... but.... what do I *do*?"

Plagg sighed dramatically. "How should I know? Cheese never makes things this difficult. Ask her out or something. Anyway, are we going to go fight an akuma? I love a break, but all of this sappy sweet stuff is turning my stomach."

Adrien stared briefly and then shook himself. "Right. Akuma. I need to go help her. Everything else can wait. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

The battle wasn't one of their most challenging, although there were the inevitable close calls, and the akuma hadn't even managed to do any property damage this time around. But as always, the satisfaction of a job well done put a big smile on both Ladybug and Chat Noir's faces as they bumped fists. The smile fell off of Ladybug's face with remarkable speed, however, replaced with an expression of mild horror and concern.

"Adrien! I left him locked up on a rooftop so he'd be safe! And he hates being locked up! I have to go get him!"

"I'm sure he's fine, my lady," said Chat Noir with slight urgency, although it was clear from his expression that he didn't expect to be listened to. Ladybug was too busy looking elsewhere to notice.

"Yes, but-- I need to get him down so he's not stranded up there any longer than he has to be. See you!" And she was off.

Chat Noir sighed heavily, but was immediately on the move himself, trying to get ahead of his Lady before she found him gone. "Why does she have to be so *responsible*? And capable and likable and..." He gasped. "Fast?"

* * *

Adrien had barely had time to drop his transformation-- and not at all enough time to catch his breath-- when Ladybug flung the door open with an immediate "I'm *so* sorry! But you're safe now!" Luckily, she was too busy looking to see that he was there and in one piece to notice the lingering signs of exertion. "The akuma is gone, and everything's back to normal. Um... can I... drop you somewhere? A bit more convenient? It seems rude to just leave you on a stranger's rooftop, and, um...." Ladybug, atypically, dropped her eyes and stepped back awkwardly, in the clear realization that she had been mere inches from Adrien's startled face.

"No! I mean, um, thanks for saving me, you don't have to be sorry. Um." Adrien looked down at his feet and shuffled them awkwardly. "I don't suppose you could drop me of at... my school? I've got some after-school classes nearby that I should be around for."

"Your school? Uh, sure! Sure, I can do that. Let's go!" It wasn't until she had whisked him a couple of roofs over that she stopped and said "....uh... which school is yours again?"

Adrien's quietly adoring gaze turned thoughtful. "Francois Dupont High School, mi... er... my school, that is."

Either Adrien's luck held or Ladybug was being unusually subtle about noticing discrepancies, because she didn't say anything else as they swung their way across the city to the school. Nothing but a simple "Here you go," as she set him down and turned to leave.

"Wait! Ladybug!" Adrien was reaching out to her when she stopped and turned around. There was a pause while they stared at each other, and then Adrien sheepishly dropped both his arm and his gaze and started rubbing his hair, blushing. "Sorry, I. er. I was wondering... I know we don't know each other very well yet or anything... but... I was wondering if, um. We might... see each other again? Sometime? Without a fight, I mean."

There was a long pause as Ladybug stared at him in surprise. "See.... me? But... why?"

"Well... you're Ladybug. You're amazing, and you just seem so nice, so, uh. I thought it would be nice to get to know you a little better, without being stuffed in a closet. Er! Not that I minded the closet, I'm not complaining or anything! But, um...." Adrien sighed. "I know, it was a dumb idea. You're a superhero, and you rescue everybody. I'm sure every boy in Paris has a crush on you."

"No, it's just... I was surprised, that's all. I mean, I've got to fight the akumas first, and that can be really busy, so I don't know when we could, but, um.... yeah, sure!" And before Adrien could say another word, she was gone.

* * *

Marinette flung herself into her spinning chair, arms over her face. "Tikki, what do I *do*???? Adrien asked me out! But he asked Ladybug, not me! I mean, I am Ladybug, so he did ask me, but he doesn't know who I am and I can't believe I said yes, what do I do??!?" She flopped face-down onto her desk in despair.

"Well, you did say you were going to see him again. And you have been wanting to go on a date with Adrien, so this is your chance! You should be happy! But... Marinette, you need to be very careful! He knows you, and you can't let him find out your identity!"

"I know, Tikki... which means I can't talk about school, or about me, or about my friends, or my parents, or.... oh, this is going to be so complicated, why did I say yes?"

"Because you've been wanting him to ask you out for ages?"

"Well.... yes, but it's going to be a disaster!" Marinette stood up and started pacing around the room, tugging her pigtails in stress. "I'm going to drop him off of a rooftop! Or start stammering uncontrollably and not be able to say a word! Or get so nervous that I'm going to start talking and never stop and he's going to find out who I am and he's going to be super disappointed because glamorous Ladybug is really just boring Marinette and he's going to tell everyone and it's going to be all over the news and my parents will ground me for forever and Hawk Moth will find me and Alya will *kill* me for keeping Ladybug a secret... oh, God, Alya! I can't tell her about this! But she's going to kill me if she ever finds out! What am I going to do?!" She started hyperventilating.

Tikki flew up in front of her face and looked her in the eyes. "Marinette, *calm down*. It will be *fine*. You're Ladybug, you've faced down dozens of monsters, you can face a conversation with Adrien. Just pick someplace pretty to go, where you can look at the scenery when you run out of things to say, and ask about him. Everybody likes to be asked about themselves. Or talk about being Ladybug and saving the world! You've done that in plenty of interviews. Just *be careful*."

Marinette sighed and slumped back down in her chair. "I know you're right, Tikki. But it's so hard."

"You'll be fine, Marinette. Just remember that you're Ladybug. And that he did ask you!"

* * *

Adrien flopped backwards on the bed with a beatific smile, arms spread wide as though he was trying to embrace the world. "Plagg, she said *yes*! Ladybug said yes to seeing me again!"

Plagg grumbled into his cheese. "Yes, I know. You've been saying that for the past twenty minutes. Also, you already see her practically every day." 

"Well, *yes*, but I see her as Chat Noir. And she never wants to take the time to get to know me. This time, we aren't going to spend all of our time fighting. We can actually talk. And I can get to know her better!" Adrien sighed. "Assuming she actually likes Adrien. Why *did* she say yes, anyway?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Who cares? The love of your life has agreed to go on a date with you. Enjoy it, and for crying out loud, *stop talking about it* and let me enjoy my cheese in peace!"

There was a knock on the open bedroom window. Adrien started and turned around in his chair too see a waving Ladybug outside. "Hey, I know it's late, but I figured it would be easier to just coordinate in person. Got a minute?"

"S-sure!" he stammered, standing up and trying fruitlessly to hide the giant screens behind him showing a zoomed-in photo from the most recent Ladyblog update. She smirked slightly and dropped lightly into the room.

"Hey, it's OK. I kind of figured you might be a fan. People who aren't don't usually ask me to stop by for visits."

Adrien rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, looking sheepish. "Yeah, I know, I was just... startled. I wasn't expecting you so soon, but I'm glad you're here. Er.... can I get you anything? A drink or something?"

Ladybug grinned. "I'm fine, and you don't need to be a perfect host. I wasn't meaning this to be a"-- she coughed and glanced away-- "d-date or anything. Tonight, that is, not that I dont want a date, we could have one, just. Um. Later. But the logistics are complicated, and I thought we should talk."

Adrien looked up and smiled, his green eyes brightening. "Talk away, mi--- er, my couch is over here, want to sit down?"

The two of them perched awkwardly on the couch, sneaking a peek at each other only to discover the other one staring and hurriedly turning away to fumble at a cushion. The TV screen was well-positioned to act as a target of attention, and even black and blank the two of them looked relieved to stare at something a little bit less nerve-wracking than the person at the other end of the sofa. There was a brief, awkward silence.

"So, you--"  
"Well, how--"

And then "No, you first!", in stereo. Blue eyes met green, and suddenly they both started laughing. The tension was finally broken.

"Sorry, I may have some practice in the superhero department, but I'm afraid that if you want suave conversation you should have invited Chat," Ladybug said, smiling. "I don't have the first clue what to do in the r--roma--- conversation department."

Adrien smiled shyly back. "Me neither. I could probably count the girls I've talked to alone who weren't makeup artists on one hand. Besides, you're putting yourself down. I'm sure you're a wonderful conversationalist, we're just... still getting to know each other."

Ladybug looked away, with an uncomfortable-looking smile. "Yeah! Just getting to know each other. I'm sure that's it." She took a deep breath and turned back, the usual confident Ladybug cheer back in place. "And I wanted to get to know you better, so I thought we should talk about how to do that."

"Well, you're always welcome here", said Adrien, blushing again. "I mean-- look at this place, if there was a way for my dad to add entertainments to my gilded cage so I'd have no excuse to ever leave, he's bought it. And it's not like anyone ever checks on me unless I'm late for something."

Ladybug smiled, eyes bright but slightly sad. "That sounds wonderful, Adrien, and I'd love to, but... we need to talk first. You may not actually want to see me once you know what's involved." She stood and started pacing.

Adrien looked up at her, green eyes full of confusion and just a little fear. "Mi...er... what do you mean? Of course I want to! You're Ladybug!"

"That's just it. I'm Ladybug. Hero of Paris, defeater of akuma, inspiration to children, all that. But also Ladybug, enemy of Hawk Moth, target of every akuma ever created, disruptor of evil plans, and favorite subject of both paparazzi and reporters. I'm *dangerous*, Adrien. Dangerous to know, dangerous to the people around me...." Ladybug sighed, her back to the couch, shoulders slumping slightly. "And not just to people who know my identity, either. If we started dating, and Hawk Moth found out, you'd be target number one, because he'd know that by threatening you he could get to me. If he even *suspected* such a thing, you'd be in danger." She started pacing again. "And if the Ladyblog or one of the paparazzi gets a photo of you, the game's up. Once or twice right after an akuma attack, sure, that's just Ladybug rescuing a passing civilian. But over and over? On random days with no activity? The gossip columns will be everywhere, and you'd be exposed. In danger. I shouldn't even be *asking* you..."

Adrien's eyes widened, and he half-stood and reached out towards her unseeing form. "Ladybug, no! You're... you're worth any danger! And besides, I actually can take care of myself, you know."

Ladybug laughed sadly and turned towards him. "I know you're capable, Adrien, you're a better fencer than I will ever be. And your f-father's security system is amazing. But it won't stop an akuma. We can't fight our way out; the only option is to keep it a secret." She shook her head and looked down. "Yet another secret..."

Adrien was up and across the room to take her hands before she could finish shaking her head. "No, m--Ladybug. You're right, but that doesn't mean we can't do it. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Even if it has to be a secret. Spending time with you is worth it. No matter what."

Ladybug looked at him with a bittersweet smile. "Even if it means lying to your friends? Your father? The world?"

"Yes." His green eyes stared into hers, unblinking, practically radiating sincerity; his voice was firm and unquestioning. He laughed quietly, as if at some private joke. "Wouldn't be anything new, anyway." Then winced.

Ladybug pulled back, startled, eyes questioning.

"Look, Ladybug...." Adrien looked down awkwardly, dropping her hands to rub the back of his head the way he always did when he was nervous. "I'm... not who most people think I am. Everybody sees the pretty face, the perfect kid, the model student, Gabriel Agreste's son. The one on the magazine covers. Even my dad thinks that. But I'm not. That Adrien is just an empty shell that's good at smiling. I'm..." He sighed. "Some days, I don't think even I know who I am. Honestly, I'm trying very hard not to scream and run away right now for fear that when you find out just how imperfect I am, you won't want to see me anymore. But... you deserve to know. I don't want you to feel like I've led you on or disappointed you."

Ladybug's eyes had been widening steadily through the whole speech, hands coming to her mouth in horror. "Adrien, no! That's... Adrien, I don't l--like you because you're a model and famous and heir to a design empire or anything. I like you because you're *you*. You're kind, and thoughtful, and humble, and, and, and *wonderful*!"

Adrien laughed sadly, still looking down. "How would you know, Ladybug? We've barely met."

"Adrien, look at me." Ladybug tilted his head up until he couldn't avoid her eyes and looked at him intently; part-glare, part-plead, part-challenge. "You will NOT think such terrible things about yourself. You *are* kind, and wonderful, and amazing, and I *do* know that, and... and.... and I need you to just trust me on that, OK?" She sighed and dropped her hand. "And that's the other thing about being a superhero.... I can't tell you anything about who I am under the mask. You can't even guess. Because if you knew, then both of us would be at risk; you, as a target, and me, because Hawk Moth could use you to find me when I wasn't ready for him."

"I'd *never* tell Hawk Moth who you were!" Adrien objected, although he hadn't quite lost the dazed look Ladybug's fierce defense of him had put onto his face.

"I know you wouldn't ever do so deliberately. But akumas can change people's minds, however temporarily. And if Hawkmoth took you over, there would be nothing either of us could do to keep him from finding out. It's not just you, Adrien; even Chat Noir doesn't know who I am, and I don't know who he is. It wouldn't be safe."

"But why? He's a superhero, isn't he? He can defend himself." Adrien's green eyes stared into hers with oddly intense curiosity, despite his light tone of voice, before he blinked and looked away.

"He is, and he can; but we both still get hit, and sometimes being hit is almost as dangerous as being akumatized. When Dark Cupid hit him....." Ladybug closed her eyes and shivered slightly. "He didn't just stop liking me. He hated me, to the point where he teamed up with Dark Cupid to track me down and take my miraculous."

"WHAT?!" Adrien yelped.

Ladybug looked startled, then grinned. "Yeah, I suppose most of the details of that one didn't make it to the Ladyblog, did they. Alya was a little busy at the time. Trust me, it was... scary. I'm glad everyone else forgot. It would have broken Chat's heart. But the point is, if he'd known my identity, he probably would have revealed it then, no matter how trustworthy he normally is."

Adrien was staring at her with a horrified and slightly broken look, jaw open. She waved her hand in front of his face, starting to laugh. "Earth to Adrien? Hello? I know it's surprising to realize your heroes are people too, who make mistakes and have bad days, but really, we do!" Then she smirked. "Which, I will note, was the whole reason I'm here, was it not? Because you wanted to know the person behind my mask?"

Adrien blinked again, then shook himself like a wet cat and seemed to see her again. "Er, sorry about that." He started to put his arm behind his head in his usual embarrassed gesture, but a gentle polka-dotted hand on his shoulder stopped him. He glanced from the hand to Ladybug's gentle smile and back in surprise.

"Seriously. It's ok. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Heck, you should have seen me, my first week as Ladybug! There's a big difference between thinking like an ordinary citizen-- if there's a danger, someone will stop it and come rescue me-- and thinking like the one who has to actually do the stopping and rescuing. It can be a bit of a shock. I apologize, I didn't mean to dump all of that on you at once. Did I mention I'm not that great at conversation?" She looked at him, bit her lip, and looked away, dropping her arm and hugging herself in an obvious attack of nerves. "So, um. Let's see. Secrecy, secrecy, and more secrecy.... no sweeping across Paris in my arms before a cheering crowd... no romantic dates in public places... a girl who can't even tell you her name... still want to do this?"

It was Adrien's turn to step up, put an arm on her shoulder, and turn her around to face him. She was still staring determinedly away in a most un-Ladybug-like fashion, and he tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes.

"Yes." His eyes smiled at her.

Then he stepped away and grinned. "So, was that the hard part? What would you like to do now? Watch a movie? Play a game? My time is yours, my la... ladybug." He winced slightly and looked at her with a fetchingly pleading look that wouldn't have been out of place on Chat Noir. "Can I call you that? My ladybug?"

She stared at him for a moment and then started laughing wildly. "Oh, you have been watching too many Chat Noir videos. Come up with your own pet name, silly! Chat would have a field day with that one if I told him, he loves fans." She smirked and plopped down on the couch, arms out, suddenly relaxed. "Games it is, then. Your choice! You know your collection, after all." She raised an eyebrow at him, in that astonishingly flexible mask. "Join me?"

Adrien's eyes lit up. He ran.

* * *

It wasn't until several hours of pixelated combat and laughter later, when Ladybug was about to take her leave, that she remembered the conversation they'd never quite finished.

"So, uh.... next time. If you want one, that is... um.... we should figure out where to go. Night's probably the best time, since it's harder to see people."

"Of course I want one! What do you mean, where? You can just come here again, right?"

Ladybug sighed. "I wish I could, this has been so much fun. But... it's dangerous for me to come here too often."

Adrien looked at her, confused. "Why? Nobody ever checks on me anyway. And I make sure the security cameras on the back side of the house are disabled all the time, because otherwise I could never sneak out. The walls are too high for paparazzi to see in from outside. No one will notice."

Ladybug looked down, the laughter draining out of her. "Adrien... this is a secret, OK? One of the ones nobody else can find out. I probably shouldn't even be telling you, but... well... you of all people deserve to know."

Adrien was starting to look worried. "Of course I'll keep your secret. But... what's wrong?"

Ladybug sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this. Um. Well. Your father..." There was a long pause. "Your father is probably an associate of Hawk Moth."

Adrien sat bolt upright, starting to look a little angry. "What do you mean? He's been akumatized! He's a victim of Hawk Moth's too!"

Ladybug didn't look up. "I know. But... remember that book you borrowed from him? The one that got you into so much trouble?"

"....yes...."

Another long sigh. "Whoever has that book almost certainly also has both the moth and the peacock miraculouses. So if Hawk Moth isn't your father, there's a very good chance that he's someone your father knows. Works closely with, even. I'm... I'm sorry, Adrien."

Adrien was staring at her, shocked. "But... how do you know? What peacock miraculous? Why is the book so important?"

Ladybug was still looking at her feet. "I can't tell you the first; I'm sorry, but I warned you there would be secrets, and this one isn't mine to tell. The book is very old and very special, but I can't tell you more. And there are actually a lot of miraculouses, as it turns out. Not just Ladybug and Cat and Moth."

The green eyes were starting to look betrayed. "But you never told... um. What does a peacock miraculous look like, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Some kind of peacock-themed jewelry, I assume. I haven't seen it, but I could probably dig up a description."

Adrien's mouth was open to deny any possibility that the accusations were true when a memory flashed before his eyes. His father's open safe. The book. Keepsakes from Tibet. And... a turquoise pin reminiscent of a peacock's tail?

His mouth closed, and there was a pause before he took a deep breath. "Can you get me that description?"

Ladybug looked up in surprise. "What? I mean, sure, but... why? Have you seen it?"

"....I don't know. That's why I want the description. And I'm not saying I believe all of this, all right? I may not like him most of the time, but he is my father. Just.... just get me the description."

And then he paused, and it was like watching all of the life run out of him. He walked to the opposite side of the bed and sat down, shoulders slumped, back to Ladybug.

"That's all this was, wasn't it. You just... wanted me to spy on my father for you. You know, you could just ask next time, Ladybug. I'd help. You don't need to put on such a show." The bedspread wrinkled as his fists clenched in the blanket. His voice was dull and miserable.

Ladybug looked utterly horrified, reaching out uselessly towards Adrien's back. "Wh--what?! No! No, that's not it at all, Adrien! I love you, I would never do...." Her voice trailed off. "I mean... um... I..." She winced, as her cheeks attempted to match her mask's brilliant red.

The slumped form on the bed had stiffened. Slowly, the head turned. Slowly, the huge green eyes sought Ladybug's. There were tears and betrayal in those eyes... but also a desperate hope, and no small amount of fear. The green eyes bore into her, unblinking. Waiting. Demanding.

Ladybug bit her lip and walked slowly over to the bed. Adrien's face followed her, but he was otherwise still as a statue, hardly even breathing. She crouched, slowly, and put one hand hesitantly on his knee.

"Do you think we'd even be talking about seeing each other again if it were something like that? Adrien, you're worth more to me than any akuma. More than Hawk Moth. Maybe even more than my miraculous." She glanced away briefly, turning even pinker, then swallowed nervously and looked back into his eyes. "I would never, *ever* risk you for information. I'd say I'd never risk you at all, except... here I am. I care about you, and I'm selfish enough to offer you the dangerous choice of being with me even though I know I shouldn't. I know you don't believe that I care that much, or that I know you... just... please, trust me. Don't look for me, don't ask questions, but... believe me. I know you. And I l...l..." She dropped her head and buried her face in her hands. "Iloveyou" she squeaked, eyes scrunched up and shoulders hunched as she awaited his reaction.

There was another long pause, and then a pair of gentle hands pulled her face up to look at him. One scrunched-up eye blinked open briefly, then closed again in pure embarrassment. That is, it did until an equally gentle pair of lips lightly kissed her forehead. Ladybug's blue eyes widened in surprise and she lifted her head abruptly to look at him, only to discover an unexpected obstacle in the way.

"Ow!"

"OhnoIamsosorry does it hurt do you need a tissue or....?" Ladybug stammered, hands over her mouth. Adrien, still holding his abused nose, started to laugh, eyes glinting with amusement.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't find this so funny, but..." He started laughing again.

Ladybug's hands slowly dropped away from her mouth and she started to giggle slightly too, cheeks pink. "That's me, clumsiest superhero in Paris. Um.... guess it broke the tension?"

"As long as it's just the tension and not my nose!" Adrien grinned at her, wiggled his nose to show he was just joking, and sat up. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply until chuckles stopped leaking out at odd moments, then looked straight at Ladybug with shining eyes and a shy smile. "Ladybug... you don't need to be embarrassed either, you know. I wouldn't have invited you here if I hadn't wanted to hear you say that. I've had a lot of trouble returning the favor, but trust me, it isn't for lack of feelings." He leaned forward again, taking Ladybug's gloved hands in his, never letting his gaze leave her widening eyes. "Ladybug... I love you too." And then he kissed her again, gently, on the forehead.

"But... you can't. You don't even know who I am! Wait... do you?" Ladybug looked at him in sudden panic.

Adrien grinned, eyes still never leaving hers. "No. But I know I love the girl under the mask, and I have for a long time. I know how amazing she is. And while I'd love to know her name someday, I don't mind if that isn't today, or even for a long time. I just want to get to know her better. Even with her spots on."

They looked at each other, no more than a few inches apart. Slowly, they both leaned in, and...

CRASH!

The would-be lovers were on their feet immediately. Adrian met Ladybug's eyes, and flicked his own to his oversized balcony. She nodded as she moved, hidden in the upper story's shadow mere seconds after the sudden noise. Adrien walked toward the closet where he thought the noise had come from and stealthily opened the door, only to find a giant stack of camembert containers spilled out from a large box sitting on its side. A large box that had obviously come from the equally large space on a shelf above, where a round catlike form with bright green eyes floated and smirked.

Adrien stepped into the closet in a hurry and closed the door. "Plagg!" he said in a furious whisper. "What are you *doing*? She can't know you're here!"

"I was getting bored with the soppy nonsense. At least the video games had music. Besides, if somebody didn't snap you out of your self-induced sugar coma, neither of you would be getting any sleep before school tomorrow, and when you're too tired you never give me proper time to savor my breakfast. Just tell her something fell down and get on with it, kid, so we can go to bed."

Adrien rubbed one hand through his hair in a gesture of immense frustration. "You are a royal pain, Plagg. Why do I put up with you?"

"Because you recognize true nobility when you see it! Your service is graciously accepted, I'll take it in camembert, served warm, daily. Now go away and let me get back to enjoying my bedtime cheese."

Adrien sighed, rolled his eyes, and left the closet again, closing the door tightly behind him.

"Sorry, Ladybug. False alarm. Apparently one of the boxes in my closet wasn't balanced well, and it picked a really inconvenient time to fall over."

The red-suited form dropped down beside him with a grin. "I'll have to remember that trick next time I need to distract an akuma. Where were we again?"

The two of them looked at each other, blushed, and looked away again quickly.

"Doing this again sometime?"

"Right! Right. Um.... so, if not here... where should we go next time? You're the one who gets around the city, Ladybug..."


	2. Chapter 2

  
It turns out that although it's easy to find a moment's privacy in the city, it's a lot harder to find a safe place to spend time with no chance of anyone seeing you.

On the Eiffel Tower? Hardly. The view is lovely, but even though it’s easy to feel alone, the same remarkable view also means you can be seen from just about anywhere if someone wants to look and has a  
telephoto lens.

Under the lovely romantic bridges? Sleeping people and an endless parade of boats, spaced just far enough apart at night to let a couple of lovebirds start to relax before the next sudden need to hide.

On the multitude of Parisian rooftops so familiar to travelling superheroes? It's amazing how hard it is to find a rooftop that doesn't have *some* windows that can look out on it, and where there's a window or a balcony, there could be a photographer.

In a classic bell tower hideaway? As it happens, pigeons are also very fond of roosting in clock towers, steeples, belfries, and pretty much any other high spot. And allergies are neither romantic nor good for maintaining stealth.

It was after a close call in a school supply closet-- Ladybug clinging to the ceiling while Adrien explained to a suspicious Alya and Nino that he'd stayed after school to practice voice acting, and he was in a closet because he didn't want to be overheard while he was learning, and no of course no one else was there-- that Ladybug finally came up with a solution. Disguise.

* * *

  
Adrien stared at the pile of fabric Ladybug had just handed him. "The problem is that nobody can know I'm seeing *you*, right? But if you don't look like yourself, and we're careful to always keep the disguise on, then you should be safe."

Adrien slowly let the shirt unfurl. It was a hoodie. A black hoodie, so far so good. It was "Everyone's Favorite Tourist!" emblazoned across the front in an overenthusiastic neon font, surrounded by cartoon cameras, suitcases, and sunglasses that made Adrian's eyebrows climb. Ladybug managed to keep a straight face for only a few seconds before starting to laugh madly, her eyes glinting at him.

"Oh, you should see the look on your face!"

Adrien looked at her, and then slowly turned the shirt around so the ridiculous front faced her. Ladybug started laughing again.

"No, see, it's perfect! I found it in a thrift store. The whole point is to keep people from thinking you're Adrien Agreste, right? Well, you have to admit, nobody could imagine Adrien Agreste wearing *that*!" Her laugh rang out again, and Adrien slowly started to grin and then laugh himself. It wasn't until several minutes had passed that the two of them caught their breath, and Adrien put the shirt on. That made Ladybug grin, but it was the ridiculous modelling poses Adrien struck in his ludicrous, ludicrous shirt that made her lose it and fall over laughing again.

Eventually a grinning Adrien walked over to Ladybug, grabbed her hand, pulled the overly-large hood over his head, and said "So, aren't we going somewhere?" That night, they finally enjoyed a quiet evening under the stars, the silence only broken by the occasional giggle.

* * *

  
"Sooooo, Adrien my dude.... who's the lucky girl?" Nino asked with a grin, elbowing his friend.

"Wh...what? What are you talking about?" Adrien had been gazing dreamily off into nothingness with his head resting on his chin, but now he sat up abruptly and looked around nervously, scratching that back of his head. "What girl? There's no girl."

"Uh-huh. You can't fool me, my man. I've never seen you so distracted in class. You're so dreamy you look like Marinette!" There was a squeak from the desk behind them.

"Marinette?" Adrien looked genuinely confused.

Nino smirked. "I could practically see the hearts in your eyes. So come on, dude, tell us. Who is it?" Alya was leaning over to watch the conversation with a gleam in her eye.

"N...no one! I mean, there isn't a girl! I'm just.... having a good day! And thinking about... dinner! I'm planning on having a really good dinner tonight!" Adrien stammered.

Alya burst out laughing. "Like we can't tell the difference between dinner and a girl. So dish! Are you dreaming about a certain black-haired beauty....?" Adrien's eyes widened and he started looking nervously around, obviously seeking an escape. His mouth opened, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

SLAM!

Marinette's hand came down on the desk between Nino and Adrien with surprising force, causing all three of the conversationalists to jump and stare at her. "He *obviously* doesn't want to talk about it, and  
he doesn't have to. Come on, Adrien, we're going somewhere else where people will be less nosy." And with that, she grabbed Adrien's hand and started to drag him off, giving him just enough time to grab his bag before he was pulled away. Adrien sent a confused smile and a shrug towards Nino and Alya as he vanished through the doorway.

Nino and Alya stared after them with mouths open. "Did... that just happen?" asked Alya. "Did I actually just see *Marinette* drag *Adrien* off?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm...." Alya's eyes narrowed. "What are they hiding? Is *Marinette* the girl? I would have hoped she'd tell me! Come on, Nino!" She grabbed her phone and hurried off to follow her targets.

Outside of the school, Marinette turned to Adrien. "Sorry about that, it just looked like you didn't want them badgering you." Then she looked down to see that she was holding his hand, turned bright pink, and dropped it like it burned her.

Adrien was looking at her with a friendly smile. "Thanks, Marinette! I appreciate it. Have a great afternoon!" He waved and walked off towards the waiting car. Marinette gazed after him with a dreamy smile and waved back until well after the car had left.

"OK, girl, what gives?" said Alya from behind her, poking her in the ribs and making Marinette jump. "Are you hiding something from us?"

"W...what? N--no, why would I do that?" Marinette stammered nervously, looking anywhere but at Alya.

"Good question. Does the answer have something to do with you and Aaaaadrien?"

Marinette turned bright pink and looked even more nervous before standing straight up and looking Alya determinedly in the eye. "There is nothing going on between me and Adrien. He just looked uncomfortable and I wanted to be friendly."

Alya looked dubious. "Friendly."

"Yes, friendly! I'm... learning to act normal around him. And that's much harder to do when you're teasing him about me all the time. So... lay off of him for a bit, OK?"

Alya raised an eyebrow and shook her head, but smiled. "Uhuh. I get it, girl. You want some space to get to know each other without Alya coming in and embarrassing you. I'll give it to you for now, but"-- her finger poked Marinette in the chest-- "I expect a *really good* gossip session later, you hear me? With *all* the deets."

"Nn-no, you--"

Alya smirked. "Can't lie to me, Marinette. Say hi to Adrien for me next time you see him!" The smirk got wider as she turned and walked off.

Marinette hung her head. "Oh, Tikki, I am *so* bad at this."

Tikki smiled reassuringly up at her from her purse. "Don't worry, Marinette! You'll figure it out! And I think it's a great idea for you to be Adrien's friend at school."

"But he's going to figure it out! Or Alya's going to try locking us in a closet to get us to kiss again!"

"Relax, Marinette. Take it one day at a time. The masks make it much harder for people to see who you are, so as long as you don't tell him anything too personal, it'll be fine. Just remember not to mention anything from school."

Marinette sighed. "You're right, Tikki. But this is going to be hard."

"You're the hero of Paris! You do hard things all the time! Is this really harder than fighting akumas?"

"You know it is, Tikki!" But she smiled anyway, and started walking home.

* * *

  
Ladybug stood on the roof looking out over Paris, Chat Noir perched on the chimney next to her. He had a giant goofy smile on as he gazed out at the city lights, and Ladybug gave him a sideways look.

"You've been awfully cheerful of late, Chat. Also, you're humming again. Why did you start doing that, anyway?"

He turned his grin on her. "Why, milady, I thought you wanted me to be more *hum*ble! And how can I not be cheerful around such a purr-fect partner?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "OK, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Chat Noir laughed. "Sorry, milady. Couldn't resist the *tom*tation. I've been cheerful lately because some things in my life have been looking up unexpectedly. And I have every hope they'll keep getting better."

Ladybug smiled. "I'm really glad to hear it, Chat. I want you to be happy. Even if it *does* make your puns worse. My life's been looking up lately too. But... do you ever feel bad about keeping so many secrets?"

Chat Noir looked at her with a more serious expression. "Sometimes. But as you said before, we're superheroes. We don't have a choice. And... if the secret is to protect someone... it's for the best, right?"

Ladybug sighed. "I want to think so. But I'm scared, sometimes. Will everyone hate me when my secrets come out? Is it wrong of me to be grabbing a little bit of happiness where I can, even at the cost of lying to people I care about?"

"Do the lies hurt them? Or are you just worried that, someday, they might be disappointed or angry?"

"...the latter, I suppose."

Chat Noir smiled down at her, green eyes glowing gently. "Then trust the people you love to be kind to you, the way you are to them. It may hurt for a while, but if they care about you, it will all work out in the end."

Ladybug looked up at him. "Do you really think so?"

Chat Noir smiled. "I do. You have to believe." His grin widened. "And right now, I believe I can beat you to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Last one there gets to handle the next press conference!" He extended his staff and was off. Ladybug rolled her eyes and smiled as she took off after him.

* * *

When Ladybug next swooped down to pick up her slouching, lurking boyfriend in the ridiculous shirt for a clandestine date, it wasn't until they arrived on a friendly rooftop that she discovered why his hood was down *so* far. Adrien stretched, pulled the hood back slightly, and...

"Ack!" yelped Ladybug, jumping backwards in surprise. Adrien wiggled the ridiculously bushy eyebrows of the cheap gag glasses, making the giant nose and oversized moustache bounce. The hood fell back further, revealing a rainbow-colored clown's wig made of curly plastic hair.

"What, don't you like my disguise, mi...my creative gift-giver?" Green eyes laughed from their plastic framing. "And here I thought I was just getting into the spirit of things, following your example."

Ladybug glared at him, then started to relax into a smile. "I had no idea you had so much of a sense of humor, Adrien."

He glanced away, looking oddly uncomfortable. "There's a lot you don't know about me." Then he looked back at her, wide green eyes seeking hers. "But... that's what we're here for, right? To... get to know each other?"

Ladybug grinned, and then sat down with her back to a chimney block. "Yeah. Uh. So... tell me something I don't know about you. But please take off those glasses first, because I can't keep a straight face."

Adrien looked sheepish, and took off the glasses and wig as he sat down against the opposite chimney, stuffing them into the hoodie's pocket and pulling the hood back up over his distinctive hair. "Um.... something you don't know about me. That's hard, since I don't know what you do know about me."

"It doesn't matter. Just pick something that you think is surprising."

"Umm.... I... like writing poetry?"

Ladybug smirked. "And you're not half bad at it, either." Then she suddenly looked embarrassed and clapped her hands over her mouth as Adrien sat straight up and stared at her.

"You mean... that valentine was from you, Ladybug?" His smile went from ear to ear and his eyes were shining. "You didn't sign it, but I hoped...."

"Uh... I mean... uh.... yes. Yes it was. Did... did you like it, then?" She was looking away and her cheeks were tinged with pink.

The blinding smile hadn't wavered. If anything, it had gotten brighter as he gazed at her until she finally looked back up at him. "I loved it, mi... mistress bug."

She blinked and then glared at him. "Did you just call me *mistress bug*?"

Adrien looked away, but he was grinning. "Well, you did say I should find a new pet name for you."

"Well, not *that* one."

His voice was full of laughter. "I'll keep looking, then. So... your turn. Tell me something about yourself."

She sighed and wrapped her hands around her knees, looking suddenly serious. "I don't know how. I mean... it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's that it's dangerous for both of us if you figure out who I am under the mask, so I don't know what's safe to say."

Adrien got up so he could sit down again next to her and put a hand on her knee. "Ladybug, you don't have to say anything you don't want to. And I promise, even if you do tell me something personal, I won't go looking for you unless you tell me it's OK. I'll do my best to ignore any inconvenient coincidences. Just... pick something that's pretty common, to start with. What's your favorite music, or TV show? Your favorite color? Ice cream flavor? There must be thousands of girls in Paris with the same answers, so it won't give you away, but it'll still be about *you*."

Ladybug smiled quietly to herself. "Mint. My favorite ice cream flavor, that is." She looked up at Adrien and took a deep breath. "Right, I can do this. Umm... my favorite musician is Jagged Stone, and my favorite color is pink."

Adrien lit up with enthusiasm. "Jagged Stone, really? He's my favorite too! And a friend of mine actually designed his last album cover, it was awesome. So what's your favorite song? Have you gotten to go to any of his concerts?"

Ladybug started laughing and relaxed. "OK, you're right. We can do this. I got to go to his last concert series in Paris, and it was *awesome*. Although I admit I'm biased, he dedicated a song to me...."

The murmur of cheerful conversation lingered long into the Paris night.

* * *

  
Adrien flopped onto his bed, staring up at Ladybug's valentine taped to the ceiling far above him. "What am I going to *do*, Plagg? You'd think I'd be better at keeping secrets from Nino and Alya by now. They're starting to act suspicious again."

Plagg rolled his eyes as he dug into his cheese stash. "Well, you could stop acting like some kind of lovelorn idiot at school. Your look today was so sweet it almost put me off of my cheese. Ugh."

Adrien rolled over to look at Plagg. "I don't know how. I can't even tell when I'm doing it. I just... can't stop thinking about Ladybug. She's talking to me, Plagg! She actually likes me! She only turned down Chat Noir because she liked *me*!" He smiled giddily.

"Right, kid. So does that mean you're going to stop mooning over her all the time? Because that would be nice."

"Plagg, I do not moon over her *all* the time!" Adrien was pink.

Plagg snickered. "Ohh, Ladybug, I love you! Oh, Ladybug, you're so perfect! Ladybug, your eyes are like a summer...." The kwami's fake swoon was cut off by a thrown pillow several times his size.

"Shut *up*, Plagg. Just because you don't know what it means to love anything but cheese...." Adrien took a deep breath. "Right. Stop thinking about Ladybug in school. Concentrate on work. Must keep my grades up so my father doesn't pay attention." He shuddered. "Now there's a thought that drives romance away."

There was a long pause and Adrien sat up. "Wait a minute, Plagg. Did Ladybug ever tell us what the peacock miraculous looks like? That night was so..." He paused and turned pink again. "I totally forgot." He face-palmed.

"Nah, I think she forgot too. But that was totally the peacock miraculous. I was looking in there too, remember?"

"WHAT? Plagg, why didn't you tell me?!"

"Eh, I forgot. There was cheese. Besides, who wants a peacock when you can have a handsome cat?"

Adrien sagged. "So... my father probably does know Hawk Moth after all. I know I hate him sometimes, but I never thought he could be *evil*."

"Chin up, kid. Now you don't have to be guilty about running away so much! And you have information you know Ladybug will want."

"But how am I going to tell her? I'm not supposed to even know what it looks like, and it's not as though Chat Noir has even heard of it. And that's another thing... why didn't she trust me enough to tell me about it?" He looked hurt.

"She was probably just too busy worrying about how to protect Adrien. It was your book, after all, not Chat Noir's. And you're not the only one who gets distracted by looooove. Just ask her to get you that description, it'll be fine. It's been months, after all, what's another few mmmmmph!"

Adrien glared at Plagg's struggling form without removing his fingers from in front of Plagg's mouth. "I do NOT need a miraculous fight on top of everything else going on, Plagg! You should know better than to finish that sentence. Now go eat your cheese before you bring any more bad luck down on us."

* * *

  
Adrien sighed as he looked at the drawing. "Yeah, I recognize it, though I only saw it once. It's in my dad's safe. The one behind the painting of my mother." He put his head down on his knees.

Ladybug gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you OK, Adrien? This is amazingly useful to us, but I was serious when I said I didn't want you hurt. And absolutely do *not* try to take it."

"Yeah, I'm OK. It's just... what if we have to fight my father for real? What if Hawk Moth is someone else I know, like Nathalie? I thought I was alone at home before..."

"*You* don't have to fight *anyone*, Adrien." He winced slightly. "If there's any fighting that needs doing, Chat Noir and I will take care of it, and we will do everything in our power to keep your father as well as everyone else safe. But, well... I may not be able to help you at home, but"-- she tilted his head up to look at her--"you are *not* alone. You have a lot of friends who would be willing to support you. And you have me. We won't let you be alone. No matter what happens."

Adrien smiled weakly up at her. "Thanks, Ladybug." She squeaked as he suddenly reached out and pulled her into an unexpected hug, then relaxed with her head on his shoulder until Adrien finally let go. She stood up and grinned at him, holding a hand down.

"OK, you. Enough moping about things we can't do anything about right now. Dark rooftops are clearly not what you need. Tie that hood on tight, because we're going on a tour of Paris at night! It's a good thing you're not afraid of heights."

This time, the smile was genuine as Adrien reached out to take her hand and they leapt off into the night.

* * *

  
A romantic midnight tour of Paris' most beautiful views did not mesh well with Adrien's "look casual at school" plan, as was evident from Nino's smirking elbow-nudges and the teacher's repeated surprise questions. Marinette's dreamy gaze had a lot more smugness to it than it usually did, too. Nevertheless, both of them jumped in surprise at the end of the day when Alya leaned over and said "So! I see you two lovebirds finally got together then, did you?"

Marinette turned bright pink and her eyes went wide with horror as she shook hands and head in furious negating motions. Adrien looked far more confused but equally guilty.

"W--what do you mean? Which lovebirds?"

"You and Marinette, of course!" Alya rolled her eyes. "We're not blind, you know."

The objections "Marinette? What are you talking about?" and "We're just *friends*, Alya, that's all, stop it!" rang out simultaneously.

"Uh huh. Riiiight. So if it's not Marinette, Adrien, then who *are* you mooning over?" Alya's finger poked Adrien in the chest, and he looked down at it and back up at her in obvious panic.

"No one! I'm not mooning over anyone!"

"Come *on*, Adrien. I know exactly what that lovey-dovey look means. So who's the lucky girl?"

Marinette's attempt to climb over the desk to get between the two while pushing Alya away resulted in nothing but a pile of frustrated girl and scattered books at the bottom of the stairs, leaving Adrien alone in the face of the merciless journalist, looking desperately for escape.

"There's no girl! I was thinking about... uh...... theology!"

Alya gave Adrien a flat and disbelieving look. "Theology."

"Yeah... theology! Like, medieval poets and that sort of thing? Contemplating the glory of God, eternal love, you know?"

Alya's expression didn't change. "Nino, has Adrien ever mentioned going to church? Or synagogue, or anything?"

"Uhhh... no? I mean, he's up early on weekends sometimes, but it's usually a photo shoot."

One brown eyebrow rose as Alya's challenging stare remained fixed on Adrien.

"I'm.... a hermit! Contemplating God all alone, dedicated to solitary study, all that! You know?" Adrien tried on a hopeful look, his arm betraying his nerves as he rubbed the back of his head.

"A hermit. Adrien Agreste. Contemplating the nature of God all alone in his bedroom. Now there's a new one." Alya started laughing. "I don't think I've ever heard so transparent an excuse in my life, but I admit that I'm sorely tempted to tell Chloe. I can imagine her face when she hears about Adrien taking vows of chastity! OK, totally-not-lovebirds, we'll leave you be. For now...." Alya grabbed her stuff and walked off, still laughing. Nino gave Adrien a look that said as clear as words "You're really weird, dude!" and followed her. Adrien and the no-longer-quite-so-sprawled Marinette were left in the empty classroom.

"Theology?" Marinette asked, giggling. "You don't need to tell me what you were actually thinking about, but where did *that* come from?"

Adrien looked sheepish. "I was reading poetry the other night. Some of those medieval monks claimed to be writing allegories about God, but were actually writing really awesome l-love poetry. Probably to some monk or nun next door. So, uh. It was the first thing to come to mind."

Marinette laughed. "I guarantee you Alya wasn't expecting that." She looked away, avoiding his eyes. "I'm sorry she assumed we were dating or something. I, uh. Don't know where she got that from." She turned pink again.

Adrien smiled at Marinette, then offered her a hand up. "It's my fault for being so spacy. I'm sorry she decided to pick on you like that. Thanks for taking it well."

Marinette smiled as she stood up and started repacking her school bag. "It's fine! Nothing to worry about. Besides, I'm used to Alya."

As soon as they were safely in the car, with the partition closed and his bodyguard safely out of earshot, Plagg came zooming out of Adrien's pocket and stared at him. "*Theology*? That's your idea of an excuse?"

Adrien grinned, looking not the least bit chagrined. "What, are you saying Ladybug isn't divine?"

Plagg groaned and put his head in his hands. "I hadn't thought you could get *worse*!"

* * *

  
"So what are we going to do about the peacock miraculous, Master Fu? Hawk Moth may have it right next to him!"

"Do not worry, Marinette. The peacock has been quiet for a long time, and any opportunity Hawk Moth may have to use it has been there for some time. We cannot move hastily here, or we will show ourselves. The Guardians have ways of interacting with even the sleeping miraculous. I will see what I can learn. Leave Hawk Moth to me for a little while, and worry only about the akumas. The time to act will come later."

"....Master Fu, what should I tell Chat Noir?"

"What do you think, Marinette?"

"Tikki didn't want to bring me here at all until I found the book, so... I think you are trying to stay a secret."

"Indeed. Hawk Moth is clever, and may be looking for me. As you yourself have noted, even the best of intentions cannot stop some of his akuma."

"...I'll wait, then, and trust he'll be ok with it when he finds out. His kwami can lead him here if there's an emergency. Until next time, Master Fu."

 


	3. Chapter 3

The next time Ladybug picked Adrien up-- the hideous tourist hoodie swapped out for a differently-hideous hoodie patterned to look like an ugly Christmas sweater-- he looked guilty, and sat quietly looking out over the city when she set him down.

"Adrien? Is something wrong?" She sat down next to him, one bright spotted leg curled up in front of her.

"Not really. I'm just not nearly as good at keeping secrets as I thought I was. At least this one."

Ladybug stiffened. "You told someone you were dating me?"

Adrien put his head on his knees. "No... but my friends know me well enough to notice that I've been thinking about someone, even if they don't know who. They think it's one of my other friends, actually, but we're both around them too much and they're going to figure out the truth eventually, which means that they'll start trying to figure out who you are. And worse, one of them is the girl who runs the Ladyblog, and you *know* how persistent she is. I'm afraid I've given everything away because I'm too stupid to hide how I feel about you." He sighed and flopped backwards, looking up at the stars. "And I used to think I was so good at hiding my feelings, too."

"I can't help but be flattered, but you're right about it being a problem." Ladybug sat quietly for a while, looking thoughtful. "...I may have an idea, but I'm not sure it's a good one."

Adrien pushed himself up to look at her, his face hopeful. "I'm sure it's great! What is it?"

There was another long pause. "How much do you trust the friend they think you're in love with?"

"Marinette? Quite a lot. She's amazingly kind and thoughtful. I can't imagine her intentionally betraying someone. Well, except maybe Chloe, but even there I suspect she'd stop before going too far."

The expression on Ladybug's face was hard to read. "Maybe you should ask her to cover up for us. Pretend she's dating you or something."

Adrien sat bolt upright. "I could never do that! You're the only one in my heart, it would feel like cheating! And I hate asking a friend to lie. Besides... Marinette flusters so easily, I worry that she'd accidentally tell your secret"  
  
Ladybug's mouth turned up slightly in something that wasn't quite a smile, still not looking at him. "I'm not saying actually date her. Just have her help you convince Alya and Nino that you are. And you don't need to tell her you're dating me, just tell her that you need her help keeping Alya from exposing someone who would be in danger."

Adrien gave her a dubious look. "You want me to ask Marinette to cover for me being in love with a mystery girl by pretending to Alya that she's dating me? And you think she'll *agree* to that? There's nice, and then there's.... whatever that is."

This time, the grin on Ladybug's face was genuine, and she turned to look at him. "I think you'd be surprised at what friends will do for each other. Try it and see."

Adrien sighed. "But... I'm yours. Entirely yours. I don't even want to *pretend* to be disloyal." He looked up at Ladybug, green eyes full of uncertainty. "You're everything to me."

Ladybug pulled him into a tight hug, his head resting on her shoulder,and stroked his hair tenderly. "I know, Adrien. I don't know why and I don't deserve it, but I know, and I could never doubt your heart." She took a deep breath. "And... and I love you too. So very much. I wish we didn't have to keep these secrets. I wish I could walk across the Pont des Arts bridge with you holding hands, and share ice cream at Andre's, and have double dates at the movies with friends. But... that's the cost of keeping Paris safe. And of keeping *you* safe. And I know you're about to object, but... remember, it would break my heart if anything happened to you."

They sat there, holding each other close, for some time before Adrien finally sighed and let go. "Well.... I suppose if we don't have any other ideas. But... what if Marinette decides to tell Alya that I'm trying to hide something from her?"

Ladybug looked at him with a slight smile. "Does she seem like the sort of person who would do that?"

"...No. She's actually been stepping in to defend me from Alya's prying."

"Well then. Let's give it a try. And remember-- I trust you. It'll be OK."

* * *

"Marinette, what are you *doing*?!" an agitated Tikki asked. "Having him pretend to date you so he can hide the fact that he's dating Ladybug? That's just a recipe for exposure! You promised me you'd be *careful*!"

Marinette flopped back on her bunk. "I *am* trying to be careful, Tikki! You know Alya, she's like a bloodhound on a scent when she senses something is off. And the last thing we want is her posting speculation on the Ladyblog about Ladybug's secret romance. She's been pushing me at Adrien for ages, she'll be too happy that it's finally happening to ask too many questions."

"Marinette.... you know he doesn't know who you are. You can't try to make this a real romance, or you'll just hurt Adrien's feelings."

Marinette sighed. "I know. And I do want him to see me as Marinette, not just Ladybug. And of course I'm scared of what will happen when he finds out who I really am. But... I *do* have him as Ladybug. He loves me, Tikki! Can you believe that? Half shares are better than none, and I couldn't stand it if he got hurt because of me. So... Marinette can learn how to just be friends. I'll still get to spend time with him, and maybe this way I can stop being such a horrible stammering klutz when he looks at me without the mask."

Tikki circled back down to hover over Marinette's eyes. "There's nothing 'just' about friendship, Marinette! It will be good for both of you. I'm proud of you for trying. And you know... the best relationships always include both love and friendship. But remember, he can't find out you're Ladybug!"

"I think I would die of humiliation if he found out right now, so I have plenty of motivation. Oh, no, I have to clean up all of my pictures of him again in case he comes over!" Marinette rolled over and buried her head in her pillow. "Why did I think this was a good idea again?"

* * *

"Hey, Marinette!"

Marinette looked up to see Adrien standing next to her desk, looking awkward and rubbing his head.

"Adrien? Uh... what's up?"

"I, uh. Was wondering if you might want to... go to lunch? I wanted to talk about that history report coming up, it sounded like you had some good ideas and I'm stuck."

Alya snickered into her notebook, but didn't say anything.

"Uh... sure, A-adrien. I'd love to eat you for lunch! I mean lunch meet you... I mean, Lunch sounds great!"

Adrien gave her a confused look and then smiled shyly. "Great! Uh... you really wouldn't want to eat at my house, it's a mausoleum and my father would k.... be really upset if I had someone over without asking. Do you want to eat in the park?"

"Um.... my parents usually make me lunch at home, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came too."

"Are you sure? I mean... your parents make really good food, but I  
wouldn't want to impose."

"I'm sure they'd be delighted." Marinette smiled and grabbed her bag, then promptly tripped over her own feet, catching herself before she fell but not her books. Two awkward smiles and a bumped head later, Adrien and Marinette finally made it out the door with all of their possessions in tow.

Alya grinned and poked Nino. "Told you."

* * *

  
"So, um...... history report?"

It was after lunch, and Marinette's parents had sent them upstairs with wide smiles to talk. Marinette was staring straight ahead towards the screen on which her ladybug mech and Adrien's polygonal black cat were beating up computer-generated enemies. Adrien's posture was far more relaxed than Marinette's, but it was clear from his play that his mind was nowhere near the game.

"Yeah, um... about that. Um." Adrien sighed, and put his head in his hands, elbows on the desk. "I wanted to talk, but not about the history report. The problem is, it's so weird I don't even know how to begin."

Marinette paused the game and spun her chair to look at him. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and putting on a slightly awkward smile. "W-w...weird? How so?"

Adrien sighed again. "I need a favor. And you're such a good friend that I was hoping you could help me, but... I feel really terrible asking, because it's weird and awkward. And involves lying to Alya."

Marinette cocked her head slightly to the side, her curious look a bit too practiced to be believable, but Adrien wasn't looking. "I'm always happy to help, Adrien. What do you need? And why does it involve lying?"

Adrien shook his head, sighed yet again, and sat up to look at Marinette. "So... Alya was right the other day. I do have a girl. But..." He hung his head again, refusing to meet Marinette’s eyes. "she's not someone from school, and it would be really dangerous for her if anyone found out about her. You know.... my... father... and all that. And she's, uh, really shy. But if Alya gets even a hint of her existence, you know she'll be off to find out everything she can, and that could lead other people to her. More dangerous people."

"So.... you, uh, have a secret girlfriend?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his head, looking awkward. "Basically, yeah. And she needs to stay a secret. So... um. My girlfriend suggested that I ask you to pretend to be my girlfriend at school, with Nino and Alya. I mean, not you specifically, but a friend that I trust. And you're the most trustworthy person I know, Marinette. I know, this is super-weird and a bit creepy and I feel awful for asking you for any such thing, but--"

Marinette interrupted Adrien with a gentle hand on his arm. "It’s OK. I mean, yeah, it's weird, but... it sounds like it's really important to you. So of course I'll help."

Adrien's head shot up in surprise. "You... will?"

"Yeah. I mean... you're my friend, and I want to help you." She blushed. "Besides, Alya keeps trying to set the two of us up, and this will get her off my back too."

Adrien looked awkward. "You... know that it's just pretend, right? I mean... I'm loyal to my, uh, girlfriend. You're really nice, Marinette, but..."

She interrupted him again with a crooked smile. "I know! I'm not trying to actually get us together. But Alya's a romantic and she loves her schemes. So... we'll pretend for a while until she finds someone else to matchmake for. And in the meantime... we can just be friends."

Adrien fidgeted with his controller, still looking at the floor. "That's not the only problem. I'm... well... um.... kind of well known. I try to keep a low profile, but even if we just pretend to date at school, there's a chance that we'll end up with paparazzi following us and your name in the gossip columns. It's a pain in the neck, and I hate it, but I haven't figured out how to avoid it yet. So, um. You wouldn't just be pretending to Alya. You might end up having to pretend to, um. Everybody. And some of them aren't very nice. Which really isn't fair."

Marinette looked startled at the idea, and paused. "Well... I admit, I hadn't thought about that. But... if you're comfortable with it, I think I can live with it."

Adrien looked at Marinette, green eyes full of gratitude. "You're amazing, Marinette." He suddenly reached out and pulled her into a hug. Marinette stiffened, startled, but then smiled and returned the embrace, smiling.

"You're welcome, Adrien."

* * *

  
They walked back into the classroom holding hands. Alya's sharp eyes noticed immediately, and she jumped out of her seat in excitement. "I KNEW it! It took you two long enough to admit it. You are *so* going to be the cutest couple in school. Now dish! How long ago did you get together? How did Adrien finally figure out that you were head over heels for him, Marinette?"

Adrien looked down on Marinette in surprise, but she held her head high even as she turned bright pink. "Just this afternoon, although we'd been thinking about it for a while. And you know how earnest Adrien is, he wanted to be sure it's what he wanted to do." Her voice dropped into an annoyed hiss, loud enough to hear nearby but not to carry. "But Alya, we *just got together* and I do not want you *scaring him off*. We're just figuring things out. Now *shut up*."

Alya stared at Marinette in surprise, then started laughing. "Fine, fine. I'll back off a bit. But you two were made for each other. This is going to be *so* fun to watch."

Marinette, still bright pink and still holding Adrien's hand, pulled him along until they reached his seat, as he looked at her bemusedly. Then she squeezed his hand, looked up at him, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Sorry about that."

"WHAT is going on here?" Chloe's shrill voice cut off all other conversation in the room as she stalked forward, glaring. Adrien winced. "Marinette, are you holding hands with my Adrikins? Let go of him right now, you don't deserve him. Isn't that right, Adrikins?" She draped one arm around Adrien's shoulder and leaned in to kiss his cheek dramatically.

Adrien ducked out from under her arm and looked at Chloe sadly. "Chloe, why do you have to be so mean all the time? I thought you were working on that." He reached out and pulled Marinette to his side, arm around her shoulder. "And Marinette deserves anyone she wants. Myself included. And right now..." He swallowed hard. "Right now, that's me. I'm not yours, Chloe. I never have been. So... just leave Marinette alone, OK?"

Chloe looked horrified for a moment before she managed to restore her usual smug expression. She turned with a large sniff and a dramatic swing of her hair and walked off towards her desk. "Well, I suppose if that's what you want to do right now, Adrikins, it's up to you... but don't blame me when you regret it."

Adrien sighed in relief, and turned to Marinette. "My turn to be sorry."

"It's OK. I... kind of expected that." She smiled sadly up at him. "It goes with the territory."

Adrien's glum look and slumped shoulders that afternoon made Nino elbow him and whisper in concern, "What's up, dude? You just got together with a girl who's perfect for you, shouldn't you be back in dreamland?"

Adrien looked up at Nino with a crooked smile and shrugged. "Eh... Chloe. It's just more complicated than I thought."

Nine shook his head. "That one would be miserable with anything. Don't let her negative attitude get you down, my man. Just think about Marinette."

A gentle hand squeezed Adrien's shoulder from behind, and he looked up into sympathetic blue eyes. "Think about Marinette. Yeah." Adrien smiled gratefully and squeezed her hand back. "I can do that." He straightened up and got back to his note-taking with more energy.

Nino grinned. "Glad I could help."

* * *

  
Marinette and Adrien walked along the park path, side by side, not touching.

"You know, I'm glad to get to spend more time with you, Marinette. But... I hate that it has to be this way."

Marinette looked up at him with a small smile. "I know what you mean."

"So... um. Alya said earlier you were head over heels for me. Um." Adrien rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I don't know if she's right, but if she is, I'm really sorry. This was a really cruel thing for me to ask of you, even if it was an accident. We can stop if you want. Have a public breakup scene and all that. At least Chloe would be happy about it..."

Marinette looked uncomfortable. "I wish she hadn't said that. I...I mean...." She looked away, as though a nearby park bench were supremely interesting, and turned pink. "It's embarrassing and I hope you aren't annoyed, but... I did have a crush on you for a while, and Alya liked to tease me about it. And she's probably going to keep doing it. But it's really OK. I don't mind helping you and your... friend. Don't worry for my sake."

"....are you sure?" Adrien stopped and grabbed Marinette's hands, turning her until she looked up into his worried eyes. "I feel so selfish, asking you for this."

"I'm sure." Marinette smiled up at him. "Besides, this is a chance to have fun, just as... friends. Get to know each other. Do ridiculous things around the city without... without worrying about making a good impression. If you're up for it, we can act like a cheesy couple, and nobody else will know we're doing silly imitations of them instead of being them."

Adrien looked down at her and slowly started to smile, tension leaking out of his shoulders. "I am so lucky to have you as a friend, Marinette." He turned, bowed, and offered her his arm dramatically. "Would you care to accompany me on this walk, then, my... uh... cupcake?"

"Sweet baked goods? Sure, I'll take it." Marinette grinned and took Adrien's arm with a fake curtsey, their walk around the park turning into an over-the-top promenade. Every so often, the two of them would sneak a glance sideways, catch each, other's eyes, and burst out laughing, until Marinette finally rolled her eyes, grabbed Adrien's hand, and pulled him over to a park bench where they could collapse next to each other and giggle, watching the sun play through the leaves overhead.

"I'll defer to you about where to go around Paris. I don't get let out of my house often enough to know what might be fun to do. But... I'm thinking it could be fun to dig up the most terrible, cheesy romantic movies we can find, and watch them together. To get ideas. And, of course, to make fun of them." Adrien turned his head to look at Marinette. "So what do you think, 'cupcake'? Is it a fake date?"

Marinette grinned back at him. "I think it is."

* * *

There was a long silence on the rooftops that night, as Ladybug and Adrien sat back against a chimney with their arms around each other and free hands clasped, watching the stars.

"So.... how did it go?" Ladybug finally asked.

Adrien shook his head. "You were right. She agreed to cover for us, even without knowing who you are. I'm still surprised." He sighed. "And it worked to distract Alya and the others. But... Marinette's such a good friend, and I worry that this will hurt her. She apparently had a crush on me, and... well..." He pulled Ladybug closer. "She says it's fine and she doesn't mind, but..."

Ladybug looked up at him for a long time, then kissed his cheek. "One of the many reasons I love you. You care so much about how your friend feels. But if she says it's fine, trust her. It's probably true, but even if it's not, well.... she would have said it because she wanted you to behave as if it's true. For whatever reason."

Adrien turned his head to look into Ladybug's eyes and smiled. "Thank you, my heart. You're right, as usual. And even if I make a mistake, Marinette is the kind of person who'd forgive quickly." He gave Ladybug a quick kiss on the nose, leaned back as if to inspect his handiwork, and then leaned in for a longer, gentle kiss on her lips. Green eyes met blue, and they smiled at each other.

"Now *that* is a pet name I can live with."


	4. Chapter 4

Alya looked at Adrien and Marinette speculatively, hands on her hips. "You know, I was really expecting you two to be a lot more lovey-dovey. You hold hands all the time, but I'd have expected a lot more cuddling. And waaay more kisses. We're going to have to work on upping the romance factor here."

Adrien looked worried, but Marinette just pulled him to her side and hugged him. "Just because *you* don't see them..."

Alya raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously? The girl who kissed a picture of Adrien on her desk every night is dating Mr. Teen Model and isn't kissing him all the time?"

Marinette turned bright pink "Shut UP, Alya! I am never playing truth or dare with you ever again!" she hissed, and then attempted to pretend she was perfectly composed despite her face being a good match for her jeans. "We're just not too into the *public* parts of that whole public displays of affection thing."

Adrien, who had been looking at Marinette in amused surprise, turned back to Alya. "One of the problems with being a public figure. There aren't many things less romantic than worrying about paparazzi, you know?" He glanced around at the busy sidewalk and the ticket lines for the cinema they were standing outside.

Alya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "No, I don't know, but fine, I suppose that's an acceptable reason. But you two are so taking the furthest back seats in the theatre, in the dark, and I expect some *serious* snogging, ok?"

"Uh.... ok?" said Adrien, looking somewhat bewildered.

"You at *least* had a nice romantic dinner at a cafe before showing up, right?"

"Er... well... not exactly", stammered Marinette. "There was that akuma attack, and we got separated, and by the time we figured out what was going on it just seemed easier to meet at the theatre."

Alya groaned and turned to Nino. "From now on, the double dates get a lot longer. I like our private time, but these two need some *serious* tutoring."

Nino looked at her and shrugged. "Uh, OK. Whatever you say." Alya rolled her eyes and dragged Nino after her into the theatre.

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other. "Kissed my picture, huh?" grinned Adrien. "Now there's some useful blackmail material if I ever need it."

"Oh, shut up" grumbled Marinette, turning bright red and looking away. "I don't want to talk about it."

Adrien laughed. "Fine. Come on." Hand in hand, they went into the theatre.

In the dark, at the back of the theatre and covered by the noise of the previews, the conversation continued on a more serious note.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. I hadn't realized it was that obvious. I just... it's hard to kiss someone that isn't... well... her."

"It's OK. We can get through this, though. There are a lot of things that friends do from affection and l...lov...boyfriends and girlfriends do from romance, that mean something different but look the same, right? Kisses on the cheek, that sort of thing? We can work on that."

"Right. Platonic hugs and kisses coming up." Adrien reached over and pulled Marinette gently into his shoulder and kissed the top of her head, then leaned his head on hers. Slowly, they relaxed into each other, Marinette's blush hidden by the darkness.

Partway through the movie, Marinette looked up inquiringly at what seemed like a quiet sigh of contentment from Adrien.

"Just thinking that this is really nice. Having a friend I can just hold for a while and relax.... I've never had that before. It's... good." He smiled, then looked down at her in concern. "You don't mind, do you?"

Marinette smiled up at him and gave his hand a small squeeze. "It's good."

* * *

It was an overcast and slightly chilly night, the clouds glowing faintly orange from the city's reflected light, and the mood on the rooftop was more melancholy than usual even though the side-by-side cuddle was as close as ever.

"Can I ask you something that I really probably shouldn't, Ladybug? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Ladybug gave Adrien a sidelong glance. "You know I'm not going to tell you who I am."

Adrien shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just.... why are you here with *me*, instead of off running rooftops with Chat Noir? He's brave, and capable, and confident, and funny. I'm just... plain old Adrien. A pretty face who's very good at doing what his father tells him to 'preserve the family name'." Adrien scowled slightly. "I can't take any credit for the face, and I play the perfect son because I'm too afraid not to, but he's even picked most of my *hobbies* for me. I'm... empty."

Ladybug sat up straight and looked at Adrien in concern. "What? You are most certainly *not* empty... you're wonderful. You're kind, and generous, and thoughtful, and caring, and you see the best in even the worst people. You're a really good friend. Even if your father chose your activities, you've worked hard to be as good as you are. I've seen you fence, you can't pretend you're not good at that and having some fun, at least." She gave him a faux-glare, although worry was still written all over her face. "And you most certainly do *not* only do what your father says, or I don't think you'd be up here right now!" At that, Adrien made a sound that might have been an unwilling chuckle, and Ladybug's face lightened. "You're probably the nicest person I know, and I'm not surprised you've never been akumatized, because you hardly seem to *have* strong negative emotions. You're so calm, it's like... a mental anchor for the rest of us."

Adrien snorted bitterly. "There's a reason I avoid my father." There was an uncomfortable pause in which neither of them mentioned Hawk Moth.

Ladybug gamely broke the silence. "And just because you haven't had much chance to do the things you want to do doesn't mean you aren't an interesting person. What *do* you want out of life? If you could have anything."

Adrien's silence turned thoughtful. "A close-knit, happy family. That's the part that I think about most, even if I don't know how to get there. Parents who cherish their kids, not just use them for display. Kids who get to play, and laugh. A place where a little messiness is allowed, things are done for no reason other than because they're fun, and there aren't any giant empty silences. Friends.... I've always wanted real friends, you know, not just the band of kids with nothing in common who got thrown together at all of the boring adult fashion events so we would stay out of trouble. The only person I got at all close to was Chloe, and, well... we've grown apart as we grew up. Being at school I actually have friends, now, real friends, and it's even better than I imagined. I want more of that. And more time to spend with them."

He paused. "I think people are supposed to say something like 'I want to be a firefighter' or 'I want to be a doctor' in response to that question, but I never even let myself think about it. My life has been planned out for me from the beginning. Be the face of the business, learn the business, take over the business, make my father proud... Nobody ever asked me if that was what I wanted, and what would I do if I asked myself that question and the answer was 'no'? Dreaming would hurt too much."

Ladybug's hand was over her mouth, and her eyes looked wet. "Oh, Adrien. I am so sorry, I didn't think...." She folded herself around him in a giant hug.

Adrien smiled a shadow of his usual smile, which slowly grew into a genuine one as he stroked Ladybug's hair. "It's all right, my heart. Really! I'm not actually sad. It's just a gloomy night, and you tapped into some things I hadn't known I was thinking about." He hugged her close, and then pulled back so he could look in her eyes and she could see his smile. "See? All OK."

Ladybug looked at him cautiously as she sat up again. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure." He grinned. "And you never did answer my other question, you know. Why not pick the cat?"

Ladybug looked slightly guilty. "Chat Noir... he's a really really good friend, and I love him, but... not that way. I never really thought about why, I just... fell for you first. Besides, Chat can be *really* annoying when he wants to be, and he has an arrogant streak a mile wide. I just want to drop him on his head sometimes, he exasperates me so much. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind."

"Huh. OK." His lips quirked up. "I think I can live with that." He leaned over to kiss Ladybug's frown away, and there was quiet.

The next day, a basket was sitting on Adrien's desk when he arrived at school. It was full of cookies and pastries and decorated with a simple blue ribbon, and had a note attached to it. "Just because! <3 Marinette."

Adrien turned to Marinette with a surprised smile. "Marinette! That's so sweet of you. Thanks!"

Marinette smiled back, as Adrien offered to share with his classmates. "You're welcome. I just wanted to make you happy today."

Alya leaned in to whisper in her ear. "OK, that was cute, I'll give you that." Marinette's lips twitched, but she said nothing.

* * *

"I went to the library and got the worst, most over the top, cheesy romance films I could find. They look terrible. Up for a marathon and some mockery?"

"I would be delighted, my cinnamon roll."

*quiet thwack, followed by laughter*

***

"...did that argument come out of nowhere, or was it just me?"  
  
"It's not just you. But since the rest of the movie depends on it, I guess they needed to add it even though it makes no sense..."

***

"If they'd just talk to each other, everything would be fine! And there's still an hour and a half left!"

".....talking to people can be harder than you think, Adrien..."

***

"Why do these women keep insisting on wearing expensive white dresses and then running around in them? They're disaster magnets! Do you know how much work goes into keeping white outfits clean at a show?"

"I couldn't wear one, I'd trip over myself and end up covered in rainbow stains. Dress, White, that is, not wedding, dress, I wasn't, uh... movie!"

***

"Do these people think that if they pretend something isn't real it's just going to go away?"

"Pity that doesn't work on supervillians..."

***

"Stop being so creepy, male love interest! She said no the first time! Gah."

"...huh?"

"The bit where the male love interest keeps trying to kiss the female love interest even after she says no? Way too pushy, and I want to like him but he keeps acting like a creep."

".....that's creepy? I thought it was romantic... all of the movies and TV shows say so."

"Only in Hollywood. How would you feel if one of your fangirls kept trying to kiss you even when you tried to stop her?"

"....oh, crap. I think I may owe someone an apology."

"Adrien, you would *never* be that pushy. You're too nice, and you actually listen to girls when they talk to you."

"...there was someone I liked, and I wanted to tell her how much I cared. So I did that, because that was how everyone showed they cared on TV, and I thought she would like it."

"I still can't picture you being so annoyingly pushy, but even if you were, I'm sure she'd forgive you if you apologized. And maybe we should have been watching *good* romance movies..."

***

"Why did these two characters get engaged again? They act like they hate each other."

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it's all just a ploy to distract their version of Alya. Although I haven't seen signs of the secret girlfriend yet."

"We are *not* letting this go on that long..."

***

"Am I the only one thinking that the best friends here really ought to run off and leave everyone else to fend for themselves?"

"Actually, I was thinking the director was trying to make a horror movie but had too many roses. Your idea is more practical."

***

"....we're not going to get *any* good ideas for cheesy fake dates from this, are we. These are terrible!"

  
"No, it was totally useful! We now have several weeks' worth of 'date nights' we can tell Alya about, we just got them all out of the way at once."

"Good thought! So which one do we use Monday?"

***

"Kid.... you owe me *so* much cheese after that, you're going to run out of room in the closet."

* * *

  
Nathalie was waiting when Adrien got home from school. "Your father wants to see you, Adrien. He's in his office."

Adrien sighed, dropped off his bag, and made his reluctant way through the imposing doors. Inside, Gabriel sat behind his desk, back ramrod straight, elbows resting on the desk and hands steepled in front of him. He stared down the length of the room to where Adrien stood in front of the door, neck and shoulders bowed, not meeting Gabriel's eyes.

"...you wanted to see me, Father?"

Gabriel let the silence stretch to the point of discomfort before answering him.

"Nathalie informs me that there is... a girl."

Adrien swallowed nervously.

"Yes, Father.”

"Who is she?"

"A girl from school."

"Her name?"

"....Marinette."

Gabriel picked up a tablet from his desk and scrolled through it.

"Hmmm... Marinette Dupain-Chang? The girl who designed the feather hat for your school competition?"

"Yes, Father."

"A baker's daughter with some small potential." He looked up and stared ominously at Adrien again. "You understand, of course, that she is probably interested in you for your wealth and celebrity. I will be speaking with Nathalie; you may spend your allowance on this girl, but no other house funds will be available to you at this time. We do not wish to encourage hangers-on."

"Marinette wouldn't....." Adrien had glanced up briefly in defensive anger, fists clenching slightly, but he took a deep breath and put his head back down in his submissive pose. "....yes, I understand."

"You will still, of course, be expected to perform acceptably at all of your photoshoots, and to display yourself properly at formal events. If you behave well and meet my expectations, I will consider allowing you to invite this girl to events at which a partner would be appropriate."

"Yes, Father."

Gabriel put the tablet back down and steepled his hands in front of his face again. The silence stretched on until Adrien looked up and met his father's eyes.

"You will *not* do anything to shame yourself or this family. I expect you to behave with full propriety at all times. If I hear even a hint of scandal, I *will* withdraw you from that school of yours, as well as cutting off all contact with the girl."

Adrien's jaw clenched, and his fists tightened. He lowered his head and glared at the floor as though his fury could melt holes in it, but his voice was coldly controlled. "I have never done anything to shame you or this family, Father, and I would hope that you'd know I wouldn't. But then, that would rely on your knowing me at all, wouldn't it." His tone was bitter. "I'll be your perfect poster child, you don't have to worry about me."

Gabriel's face tightened, and his voice was cold. "Your loyalty is commendable, although your manners leave much to be desired. That is all; you are dismissed."

Adrien made it out of the room, past the silent Nathalie, and behind his closed bedroom door before he gave in to the anger, pacing back and forth as though his oversized room were a cage too small for him.

"Why does my father only notice me when he decides I'm going to be trouble? And what's with this whole 'shame to the family name' thing? I'm fifteen! Does he expecting me to be seducing random passing girls and bringing home grandchildren or something? Who does he think I *am*? Has he even *met* me? Scandal, hah. And he accuses Marinette, of all people, of being some gold-digger? I'd trade every euro this family has for a family like hers, and she knows it! But of course, Father would never understand someone wanting anything other than the most material of things, would he. Cold-hearted unfeeling bastard." He kicked the wall miserably, then fell back into his bed, groaning. "I *hate* him! He manages to take the friendliest, kindest person I know, and turn our friendship into something grasping and dirty and disgusting. I don't want to even *think* about Marinette right now, she deserves to be above all of this. Ugh!"

Plagg meandered over, cheese in hand. "Just think what he'd say if he knew what was actually going on!"

Adrien groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. "Plagg, I'm having a bad enough afternoon. I don't need nightmares. I swear, I'd rather meet Hawk Moth face to face than have a 'conversation' with my father." He laughed bitterly. "And you know, on a day like today, I could almost believe he's actually a supervillain. Except Hawk Moth has a sense of humor, and my father apparently had his surgically removed in childhood. I should have told Ladybug *that* the last time she accused him."

He sat up again abruptly. "I can't take another minute of this. I have to get out from under this roof."

Plagg looked alarmed. "But I'm still finishing my cheese! And it's the middle of the afternoon, where are you going?"

"I'll bring some with me, and I don't care *where* we're going as long as it isn't here. We're leaving. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marinette glanced across the cafe to where Nino and Alya were sitting. Alya was looking at her, and gave a little "go on!" wave in Marinette's direction. She sighed and turned back to Adrien.

"I can't believe Alya's decided we need supervised dates, as though we can't be trusted by ourselves. Talk about humiliating."

Adrien gave a half-hearted smile over his menu. "Well, I suppose she has a bit of a point. Although I could use fewer people watching me."

Marinette gave him a concerned look. "Are you OK? Because you've been acting down for the last couple of days. We can tell Alya to butt out, you know..."

Adrien shook his head and sighed. "It's not Alya. It's my father. He's being... well, himself."

Marinette tentatively reached a hand across the table to touch Adrien's. "Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to, though."

Adrien smiled, but it didn't reach his gloomy eyes. "Handholding, huh? Alya will be happy." He flipped his hand over to hold Marinette's and squeezed it gently. "It's... well, he found out about you. Um. Us. Or, you know. The story about us, anyway."

"Is he angry? Nino told me how your dad threw him out."

"Not *angry* so much as... I don't even know how to describe it. Cold. Disapproving, not that I get much else from him. Cynical. He basically accused you of trying to seduce me for money, and then told me I could date you anyway as long as it was cheap. And that was the nice part, I don't even want to think about the rest of it. It's like even the *idea* that I could be happy or find someone who likes me for myself is so unrealistic that it's not worth considering. I thought he and my mother were in love, but I'm starting to wonder if he's even heard of the concept."

Marinette had turned pink and made a small "eep" noise at the line about seduction, but the embarrassment rapidly turned back into concern. "Well... um. Something happened to your mother, right? Maybe... he's just not handling it well? And doesn't want to think about l...love?"

Adrien sighed and shook his head. "I appreciate the attempt, but... I doubt it. I've never understood my father. And now I'm worried that you've caught his attention."

Marinette hmphed. "I know he's rich and famous, but what's he going to do to me? I thought I wanted his respect, but that was before I knew how he treated you. I would never want to be mentored by someone like him! Even if he gives me a bad name in the fashion world, it'll be years before I'm ready to make a proper showing, and by then I'm sure it will all have blown over."

Adrien paused, clearly thinking. "He... um. Hm. He can give you a bad name in other places too, but now that you mention it... I'm not sure you care. It's not as though *your* parents would believe rumors about you, they actually *know* you... And Chloe gives you a hard time already."

Marinette nodded firmly. "You see? You're used to seeing him as powerful and terrifying because he is for you, but once you're out of his house and not under his thumb he's a lot less scary. Come hang out at my place more, if he'll let you. It's nothing compared to your house... I assume... but at least you won't have to spend so much time looking over your shoulder. My parents like you. And if Nathalie calls looking for you, I'm sure my father will give her a piece of his mind."

Adrien looked at her gratefully, his green eyes practically radiating sincerity. "I don't deserve a friend like you, Marinette. You're amazing."

Marinette looked away uncomfortably. "I'm really not. It's nothing special." Alya's disapproving face caught her eye and she winced, sitting up quickly and pasting on a smile. "So! Um. Cheerful topics. Like.... um..... things?"

Adrien laughed. "Is Alya glaring at us again?"

"Yep." Marinette sighed.

"Well, we can't have that." He squeezed her hand one last time and then let go, grinning. "So tell me, how did you and Alya become friends?"

"I actually only met her the day before I met you. She was new at school too, and she showed me how to stand up to Chloe after too many years of letting her walk all over me. We've been best friends since. How did you and Chloe become friends? Because I admit, that's always seemed a bit, well, surprising. You two are so different."

Adrien shrugged. "Circumstance, mostly. Once I was old enough to be presentable in public, my parents would bring me to events; charity dinners, fashion shows, fundraisers, that sort of thing. There weren't too many other kids there, but Chloe tended to get dragged to the same ones I did. We were both decorative, I suppose. So we ended up hanging out together a lot at functions. We'd make up our own games to keep from being bored out of our skulls without getting in trouble. And my father approved of her. We're not that close anymore, but I keep hoping that she'll remember that she is actually capable of being both nice and fun. And I'd feel bad just abandoning her. Hmmm... your turn. Favorite animal?"

Marinette laughed. "Are we taking turns? I dunno. Hamsters, maybe! They're so *cute*! You?"

Adrien grinned. "I'm rather fond of cats, myself. Although I suppose they're not a good combination with hamsters...."

Alya caught Marinette's eye with her big thumbs up. Marinette smirked. "Apparently hamsters are an acceptable conversation topic for our overenthusiastic chaperone. Or perhaps anything silly will do. Is it my turn to ask a question now? Maybe we really can keep this up for a whole dinner..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it's date time!
> 
> FYI, the akuma fight in this chapter has a bunch of death-imagery in it. But it's pretty clear where it starts, and you can skip that scene if you'd prefer to avoid it.

  
"Tikki would say this is a terrible idea and taking far too many risks."

"So I shouldn't do it, then?"

"Are you kidding? This is going to be *hilarious*, kid! Go for it!"

* * *

  
Ladybug eyed the nondescript bag Adrien was holding as she set him down on the rooftop. "Picnic midnight snack?"

"Nope! My brilliant idea for a truly romantic date. I know you're sad that we can't go do cheesy romantic couple things around Paris together in public, but I have a plan! One glorious day of eating ice cream and wandering parks and riding rickshaws, and whatever else strikes your fancy."

Ladybug looked intrigued but dubious. "And... it's in this bag?"

"Yep!" Adrien beamed, reached into the bag, and handed Ladybug a bulky bundle packaged in clear plastic. Ladybug stared.

"Is this... a Ladybug costume?"

"Yep! An ordinary, machine-made, off-the-shelf Ladybug costume just like the ones hundreds of your fans will be wandering around Paris in on Halloween! Wear it over your Ladybug suit, and nobody will take a second glance. And see?" He pulled out another package. "I can be Chat Noir! We'll match!"

Ladybug stared at her package, then Adrien's face, then his package, then back at his face again. "I honestly can't tell if this is brilliant or utterly ridiculous."

"Probably both", said Adrien cheerfully. "Is it a date?"

* * *

 

Marinette looked at the outfit spread out on her bed. It was recognizably a Ladybug costume, all right, but not a high-end one. The legs ended in black elastic cuffs at the ankles, presumably to allow the wearer proper shoes; the mask had an obvious black ribbon attached; the zipper seam in the back was quite prominent and slightly crooked; and the spots were appliqued on in a not-quite-matching fabric with black machine-embroidered edges. In short, it was a costume no one would ever expect Marinette to wear, let alone Ladybug.

It was perfect.

Tikki was hovering next to Marinette with a worried expression. "Marinette, are you sure about this? It seems so risky. Particularly for Adrien. And you already see him all the time, both as Marinette *and* Ladybug!"

"It was his idea, Tikki. He knows the risks. And... he wants to have a real date with me, Tikki! Romantic walks along the Seine! Sweethearts ice cream with Andre! When am I ever going to have another opportunity like this?" She twirled, her face dreamy. "An actual romantic date with Adrien, during the day, without having to hide! We never get do do that, Tikki. And we won't, until Hawk Moth is defeated. That could be *ages*!"

Tikki sighed. "I can tell you're determined. And I want you to have a wonderful day. Just be careful, Marinette!"

"Yes, Tikki, I will be careful. Just like I said the last hundred times you said that..." Marinette rolled her eyes.

Tikki gave a tinkling laugh. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I just worry, because I care about you, and Hawk Moth is much too clever. But you know I like Adrien, right? The two of you are so good together. You deserve some time to be happy."

Marinette looked at Tikki with a surprised smile. "Thanks, Tikki!" She leaned her cheek into Tikki in their equivalent of a hug.

"So what are you going to do if you run into someone who recognizes Adrien?"

"Pretend to be Marinette, of course!"

Tikki's eyes widened in alarm. "You can't, Marinette! The masks are magic-- that's why Adrien hasn't recognized you by now-- but there are limits. And anyone who recognizes Adrien might recognize you, on top of giving your identity away to him."

Marinette sighed. "I wish I *could* tell him, Tikki. I'm afraid that he'll be disappointed and angry when he does find out, but the deception is so hard. I guess we'll just have to be extra-careful to avoid everyone."

Tikki flew up to give her a miniature hug. "I know it's hard. But with Hawk Moth potentially so close to him, we can't risk it. It won't be forever. I promise."

* * *

"Hello, bugaboo!"

Ladybug jumped and spun around. "Chat? What are you doing... " Her voice trailed off as she realized that the black mask around the brilliant green eyes was obviously made of felt, the perky black ears on the bright gold hair had pink linings and fake fur tufts on top, and the giant bell was hung on a ribbon collar. "Adrien!"

"Gotcha!" He grinned. "And you must admit, with this quality of costume, the only way I could pull that off is with your back to me. I hope I didn't startle you too much." He took Ladybug's double-gloved hand in his own black-gloved fingers, a wicked gleam in his eye. "But since I'm *not* Chat, I hope that means I can do *this*." He pulled her close, wiggled his eyebrows at her, and then kissed her; a long, gentle loving kiss that asked nothing and spoke silently of deep affection. Ladybug stiffened briefly slightly in surprise before relaxing into the kiss, reaching out to pull Adrien closer with a murmured "yes".

Eventually, reluctantly, they pulled apart far enough to look at each other. Adrien was gazing at Ladybug with open delight; Ladybug looked happily dazed. "You look beautiful in sunlight, my heart." Adrien hugged her close again, and then stepped back with a bounce in his step. "But we have a whole afternoon to explore, and I promised my lady a grand romantic outing. So-- shall we?" He grinned widely and held out his hand with a Chat Noir-style sweeping bow.

Ladybug blinked at him, her cheeks pink. "Buh? Uh. Er. Um. Yes?" She reached out slowly take his hand.

"Chat got your tongue, I see! Well, since I'm the cat today, I certainly can't complain." He smirked, but it rapidly melted into a simple, happy grin as he looped his arm into hers and led them both away.

The streets were starting to fill with costumed passers-by, on their way to parties and candy-collecting. Ladybug and Chat Noir were, unsurprisingly, popular choices, and for once the two of them blended invisibly into the crowd. "I blame you, my heart, for showing me how much fun it is to go out in disguise," Adrien murmured in Ladybug's ear. "I've been doing it when I can since you got me that ridiculous hoodie, and it's wonderful. I don't get interrupted by random strangers trying to take pictures of me every few blocks."

  
He led Ladybug to a rickshaw parked a few blocks away and nodded to the driver, who was clearly expecting them. Inside, Ladybug discovered a small bouquet of roses and baby's breath on the seat waiting for her. "Are these for me?" she asked in surprise as the rickshaw started to roll off to its apparently predetermined destination.

"Yep!" said Adrien cheerfully. "All yours. I wanted to get forget-me-nots, because roses are, after all, pretty cliche, but it turns out they don't actually put those in bouquets. So, red roses for my Ladybug it was."

Ladybug lifted the bouquet to her nose to smell the flowers and then tilted it up curiously as something rattled against her hand. "A... key?" she asked, fingering the silver charm on the red ribbon wrapping the base of the bouquet.

Adrien blushed, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small silver heart-shaped lock to show her. "The key to my heart. Um. I figured, I shouldn't get you jewelry, because you can't wear it without giving something away. And I shouldn't get you something big and recognizable, just in case I know you and I see it. But I wanted to get you *something* special, so... I thought this might be easy to hide but important enough to mean something."

Ladybug looked at the key, then looked back up at Adrien. Her eyes filled with tears, and Adrien suddenly looked very worried.

"Um... you don't have to keep it if you don't want to, I hope it wasn't..." His stammering apology was interrupted by a giant, tight hug from Ladybug.

When she finally let go, her eyes were still damp but she was smiling. "Of *course* I want to keep it, silly. This is just one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me." She hugged him again. "Thank you. Um... will the flowers fall apart without the ribbon?"

"No, there's wire underneath." His smile returned, wider this time, as he watched Ladybug untie the ribbon from the flowers and retie it around her neck, so the key hung under her chin. She tucked it under her spandex neckline and smiled.

"There. It should be safe and sound even if I get into a fight, at least until I can get it home."

Adrien tilted his head and looked at her, glanced at the rickshaw driver, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "So... what *does* happen to anything you put on over your suit if you detransform?"

Ladybug giggled and whispered back. "No idea. Tikki just rolled her eyes at me and said I wouldn't lose it, but she was grumpy enough about my taking risks that I don't know if she wouldn't tell me or didn't know."

"Well then. Guess we'll find out!" He grinned at her and leaned back, arms behind his head, smiling as though the whole world was perfect.

The rickshaw dropped them off along the river, where Andre's ice cream cart was set up on the embankment despite the cooling weather. "Oh, my sweet little lovebirds! This is your first time together here, is it not? And in matching costumes, no less!" Adrien and Ladybug smiled shyly at each other, squeezing their clasped hands. "Hmmm... for you, I think chocolate and raspberry and a special surprise, a perfect combination so that love never dies!"

"A surprise, huh? I wonder what it is," commented Adrien as they wandered over to a nearby bench. "Good thing neither of us has food allergies."

Ladybug shyly offered him a spoonful of the mystery flavor, then tried some herself. "Hmmm... caramel, I think? Good combination with the other two."

"As good a combination as we are?" asked Adrien with a grin and a bit of Chat Noir flair.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, blushed, and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. "No such thing." Adrien grinned even more. There was a small gagging noise, and Adrien started coughing.

"Sorry, ice cream went down the wrong way." He smiled at Ladybug, his elbow jabbing sharply into the small bag at his waist. The groaning noise it made was almost inaudible.

At their next stop, Adrien paused on the shore of the lake to point. "The Romantic Temple! I... er... ok, I admit, I found it on the internet, but it sounded really cool. And I wanted to take you somewhere as beautiful as you were."

Ladybug looked at him sideways. "Did you practice that line?"

Adrien rubbed his hair behind the cheap cat ears, looking sheepish. "Well... yes."

"You're adorable." She leaned over to kiss his cheek, just under the silly mask.

"It's also supposed to not be very busy, and I thought it would be nice to go somewhere where we could spend some time without there being too many people around."

He led Ladybug down to a dock where a rowboat awaited them and politely handed her down onto one of the seats before sitting down himself and taking the oars. A great deal of splashing ensued. The boat moved. A little bit. Sideways.

"....Adrien, do you actually know how to row?" Ladybug was grinning.

"Er.... well.... no." Adrien looked sheepish but was grinning. "I thought it would be easy! Oars go in the water, boat moves, right?"

Ladybug giggled, then looked around to see if anyone was watching. "Pick up the oars and pretend to row." Adrien looked at her in confusion as she pulled out her yoyo, looked around again, and sent it spinning across the water to anchor itself around one of the natural stone pillars across the water. She grinned at Adrien, put a finger to her lips, and started slowly pulling the boat across the lake. Progress was smooth for the remainder of the trip, except for the brief pauses when the two of them caught each other's eyes and burst out laughing.

On the other side, Adrien ducked into the shadows in the back of a peaceful natural-looking grotto. "Aha! Good. Nobody found it." He came back bearing a grin and a large picnic basket. "Dinner! Nothing too fancy, I'm afraid, but it's all stuff that should taste good cold."

In the cooling late afternoon air, under trees whose leaves were starting to become winter-sparse, they had no competition for the little faux-ruin temple. Crumbs lay scattered and forgotten in the blue quilted blanket that had turned from picnic spot to cozy wrap as the two costumed lovers leaned on each other peacefully and watched the fading sunlight cover Paris in gold.

"I think this may have been the best day of my life," Adrien said eventually, breaking the comfortable silence.

Ladybug sighed happily. "Me too. And... thank you, for thinking of this. I never expected us to get to have a day quite so ordinary. It was... wonderful."

They smiled into each other's eyes and leaned in for a kiss.

*BOOM*

The noise echoed across the lake, followed moments later by the sound of sirens in the distance and a rising cloud. Ladybug sighed. "That's my cue, I think...."

Adrien sighed and kissed her nose one last time before clambering to his feet and offering her a hand up. "I'll get cleaned up here and head home. We were about out of time anyway. You can call me later tonight, after you're done with the akuma. If you need to redo your transformation, the grottos down below looked pretty secluded." Then he grinned. "Hang on a moment! Don't want to forget this..." He gently removed the cheap fabric mask from her face and handed it to her.

Ladybug grinned back and started down the hill, but paused at the edge of the little temple. "I just wanted to say... I love you, Adrien. And thank you."

"I love you too." Adrien smiled after her and then bundled the picnic things together as fast as he could and hid them in a nearby bush. "Plagg, we need to get going as soon as she won't see us. How’re you doing?"

Plagg popped his head out of the little bag at Adrien's hip. "I'm practically dying in here! You've been smothering me in sugary syrup all day! I need cheeeeese before I faint from the overwhelming  
sweetness!"

"I gave you plenty of camembert with dinner. And I even gave you that cheesy popcorn you asked for so you'd have something to nibble on and stay quiet. You can have more cheese later!" He watched a red figure zip away across the lake. "Right, time to get to work. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir landed next to Ladybug on the roof and surveyed the scene. The park before them was crowded with open graves and walking skeletons, and a figure in a tattered black hooded robe floated above the bony crowd, waving a scythe and glowing with eerie purple light. As the scythe swung, spinning crescents of silver light flew off in all directions. Where the light struck, open graves opened beneath the feet of screaming passers-by, who fell in only to climb back out in a new and ghastly form. Trees withered into sticks, and buildings crumbled into ruined piles. Ladybug was frowning at the view.

"Is it just me, or is this a bit... grim, for Hawk Moth? I know it's Halloween, but usually his villians are a lot more, well, cheerful."

"Well, it is the *grim* reaper, milady." Chat Noir's tone was light, but he too looked disturbed as he took in the necromantic gathering below. "I guess he's just *dying* to meet us?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but the jokes seemed to have helped put her back in her usual fighting mode. "Right. Well, we've fought mummies and knights, so I suppose skeletons aren't *that* different. Can you keep the small ones off of me, while I try and spot the akuma?"

Chat Noir bowed flamboyantly. "Your wish is my command." Stick spinning over his head, he leaped off into the middle of the crowd and started to take down the small army three bony figures at a time. As the cowled figure turned to investigate the disruption, Ladybug swung down into a tree to get a better view, muttering to herself.

"Hmmm... I can't imagine the scythe is an original... wait, what's that on its hand?" One hand of the looming monster was bare, while the other was wrapped in what looked like purple bandages. Before she could see anything more, the black-robed figure turned towards her, candle-flame eyes glowing in its skull-like face, and swung its scythe in her direction. Ladybug somersaulted away to new cover just in time as the tree she'd been hiding in exploded into dust.

"I am Little Death! I shall bring the terror of the grave to all of Paris, and raise all people again in my service! Ladybug and Chat Noir, you cannot hope to defeat me. Army of the undying, take their miraculous!" the figure boomed.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I've got a bone to pick with that idea", called Chat Noir in a cocky voice, as hundreds of skulls turned to face him and the pressure of combat around him increased. "How's it going, Ladybug? I wouldn't say I'm in *grave* danger just yet, but I wouldn't complain about a hand!"

"Look at *his* hand, Chat Noir!" Ladybug yelled as she ran towards her necromantic opponent. "I think the akuma is in there!" With a giant leap, she reached out to grab the creature's arm, but was intercepted by a backhanded swing of the shaft of the scythe and flung across the park before she reached it. She barely jumped away before a deep grave opened where she had just been standing. Around her, a circle of skeletons advanced, arms outstretched.

"Lucky charm!"

Ladybug looked down at the heavy red and black spotted object she held. "A... blanket? What do I do with this?" She quickly glanced around the battlefield looking for clues. "Aha! Not too complicated this time... Chat Noir! Be ready to destroy the scythe!"

"Understood, milady!"

Clutching fingers just missed Ladybug's feet as she swung herself upwards to the roof of an adjacent five-story block of flats. With a complex flick of her yoyo, she soared out again into the air over the park, dropping the spotted blanket so that it draped itself completely over the hooded figure. In a blink, Ladybug dropped down herself, wrapping the now-blinded monster in her yoyo strings so it was mostly immobilized.

Chat Noir needed no cues; he was already racing towards them, running along the bony skulls of the skeletal crowd as though they were cobblestones as he invoked his Chataclysm. A leap and a swipe later, the scythe crumbled into black dust and Chat Noir landed in a smooth crouch, purple cloth fluttering in his clawed hand. Ladybug jumped down to join him, grabbing the other end of the cloth to tear it in two and release the fluttering black butterfly.

When the akuma had been cleansed and Miraculous Ladybug had restored the world to normal, the confused person lying at Ladybug and Chat Noir's feet turned out to be a boy of no more than twelve; his akumatized wrappings a nondescript band of black cloth. Ladybug helped him to his feet and handed him the cloth. "You're safe now. What happened?"

"My brother's friends said they were going to take me to a party, but it was a secret, so they blindfolded me." He looked down at the cloth in his hands. "But... when we stopped moving, they left me alone and ran away. And when I took the blindfold off, I was in the catacombs and there were bones everywhere..." He shuddered. "I was scared! ...and the next thing I knew I was here. Did you rescue me, Ladybug?" He looked at her with hopeful brown eyes.

Ladybug smiled. "I helped. But these nice police officers can get you back to your family and give your brother a talking-to to pass along to his friends." She handed off the confused boy to the swarming emergency workers, and turned to Chat Noir as her earring gave its first beeped warning.

"It's time to go, but I think it may be time to remind the mayor about that anti-bullying campaign. You'd think after the past few months kids would know better than to play mean practical jokes like that!"

Chat Noir nodded. "It's not Chloe this time, so maybe he'll be more willing to listen." He looked over at his partner as his ring beeped. "This cat is about to turn into a pumpkin-- but are you all right, milady? That was not quite our usual cheerful epic battle."

Ladybug nodded with a wry smile. "And I was having such a good day before this, too! I won't let Hawk Moth's bad mood spoil it. Take care of yourself too, Chat. Bug out!" She gave a little wave and leapt into the night sky. Chat looked after her until she was out of sight, sighed, and then took to the rooftops himself.

* * *

Late that night, Adrien leaned on a pillar of the little Romantic Temple, gazing up at the stars as he fingered the small silver lock in his hand.

"Ugh. Come *on*, kid, are you done staring at nothing yet?" Plagg whined, hovering nearby. "I'm bored! I thought we were just going to come and rescue any abandoned cheese, and now you've been making sappy faces at the sky for *ages*. I want to go home! It's warm, and my camembert is waiting."

Adrien smiled, not moving. "Just give me a minute, Plagg."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "That's what you said last time. What are you doing, anyway?"

Adrien finally dragged his gaze down from the heavens to give Plagg a half-hearted glare along with his poorly suppressed smile. "I'm trying to capture a little bit of my perfect day again, thank you very much. I want to go to bed thinking about Ladybug, not about walking skeletons. You have no sense of romance whatsoever."

Plagg harumphed. "Romance doesn't get me *cheese*. At least until you start dating girls who will feed me. What's the point?"

Adrien laughed. "All right, all right. I get the hint. Come on, then. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marinette lay on her bed, holding the silver key over her head and watching it twist slowly on its red ribbon. "I still can't quite believe he gave this to me. He said it was the key to his heart, Tikki!"

Tikki smiled and gave an enthusiastic midair twirl. "I *told* you you didn't need to worry about him liking you, Marinette!"

"He likes Ladybug..."

Tikki flew up to look sternly into Marinette's eyes. "...and Ladybug is you, you *know* that, Marinette! And haven't you been saying all evening that he planned the perfect day for you?"

Marinette's smile went dreamy. "Yeeahhh."

"He loves *you*, Marinette, not the mask. Even if he doesn't know it  
yet."

"Do you really think so, Tikki?"

"I know so, Marinette. And you would too, if you weren't so busy worrying about it. Now, put that away and go to sleep, you have school in the morning!"

Marinette reluctantly rolled over, gave the key a gentle kiss, and tucked it carefully into the same lockbox that protected her diary before turning out the light.

After several minutes, Marinette spoke up again, this time in a more serious tone. "Tikki... today's akuma was scarier than usual. Do you think something's wrong with Hawk Moth?"

Tikki made a distressed humming noise. "I hope not, he'd dangerous enough as it is. But... you have to be at least somewhat unstable to become a supervillain mastermind. We should tell Master Fu next time we see him, just in case." She flew over and gave Marinette a reassuring bump on the nose. "But we can't do anything about Hawk Moth right now, and there's no point in making yourself stressed thinking about it. Sleep, Marinette. Sleep....."


	6. Chapter 6

They stood in the hallway outside the flat, waiting for someone to respond to their knocks.

"So what's Alya plotting today?"

"No idea. She just said that we needed to come over to Nino's place. I'm hoping that means anime or games or something. Or maybe karaoke. Do you sing, Adrien?"

"Sometimes, but not usually for an audience..."

The door swung open with an enthusiastic "Hi guys!" On the other side, Nino was grinning as he held the door open, and Alya was aiming her phone camera at them with an evil smile.

"Come on in! But don't forget to look up!" enthused Alya.

Marinette and Adrien looked up with dread. Inside the door hung a little bundle of grey-green leaves tied with a red ribbon.

"Um... Alya? It's only November. The mistletoe thing is for Christmas, remember?" said Marinette in a calm voice despite her massive blush.

"Who cares? You two need to practice your kissing if you're going to be ready by then! Now pucker up!"

Adrien had turned pale, and was looking uncomfortably from the mistletoe to Marinette to Alya's camera. "I. Um. I just remembered I, um, need to be somewhere else. Bye!" He gave an uncomfortable wave and fled, heading towards the building exit.

Marinette glared at Alya, who was looking surprised and confused. "Now see what you've done! Argh. I'm going to see if I can catch him. *You* take that *down*. We'll talk about this later." She whirled and ran to follow Adrien.

"But.... I thought they'd think it was cute!" said Alya to Nino, lowering her phone and looking guilty. "You can tell they like each other... Crap. Marinette is going to be so angry."

Nino gave her a hug and reached up to take down the mistletoe bundle. "Guess Adrien really is as shy as he acts sometimes. Just apologize, I'm sure they'll forgive you. You know how nice they both are."

"I know, but.... crap. This is going to be *so* awkward."

Outside in the park, Marinette finally caught up with Adrien. He'd sat down on a park bench, knees tucked up under his chin and looking stressed. She sat down next to him, far enough away to avoid any accidental touching.

"Hey, um. Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting anything so pushy or I'd never have gone. Are you OK? I gave Alya a piece of my mind."

Adrien shrugged, still hunched over in his defensive pose. "I just... I couldn't handle it. Lying to them. Kissing you. Not kissing you. It was just... too much. I'm sorry. I think maybe we should end this. Stop pretending. At least it would get them off of your back."

Marinette gave him a worried look. "You don't have anything to apologize for, Adrien. This was Alya's bad idea. And... we can totally have a fake break-up to go with the fake relationship, but are you sure that's what you want? You were practically floating through school the other day. Alya kept making thumbs-up signs at me. Do you want her asking the awkward questions again?"

Adrien sighed. "No, of course not. But... this isn't fair to you. And I *can't* kiss you like that, let alone in public. Alya's going to catch on to this being a fake, and then I'll be in even more trouble."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Marinette hesitantly spoke up. "I... um... have an idea about how to stop Alya from trying to trick us into kissing. But... I'm not sure if you're going to like it."

Adrien laughed bitterly. "So what else is new? What's the idea? It can't be worse than the ones I'm coming up with."  
  
"Well, um...." Marinette turned pink. "We could tell her you're. Um. Ace."

Adrien turned and looked at her in confusion. "Ace?"

"Er. Um." Marinette's cheeks got brighter. "Asexual" she blurted out as quickly as possible. "Um. You know. People who, um. Don't like. Um. Stuff. Physical. Things. You know. Um. So as long as Alya doesn't catch you making out with your secret girlfriend or something... er." She was looking anywhere except at Adrien.

"Huh. That might actually work! Assuming you don't die from embarrassment, that is." Adrien grinned at her. "You know that's really cute, right?"

"Eep!" Marinette buried her bright red face in her knees and covered her head with her arms. "I. Cute. Um. Eep."

Adrien chuckled, uncurling himself, and patted Marinette's pigtails affectionately. "Yes, cute. I'll go tell her while you recover. And then maybe we can try again on that anime watching thing?"

There was a muffled squeak.

"Good, I'll take that as a yes." Adrien grinned. "You really do have good ideas, Marinette. You should trust yourself more. See you soon!"

When Adrien poked his head back into Nino's apartment, Alya was curled up on the couch being held by Nino, her body language practically screaming guilt. At the sound of the door opening, they both looked up.

"Hey... um... I just wanted to apologize about before. You startled me. Er." Adrien slipped inside and stood awkwardly next to the door, rubbing the back of his head. "I know you mean well, it's just..."

Alya stood up and came over to him. "I am so, so sorry, Adrien! I was too excited about you and Marinette being awesome together, and I didn't realize you really minded. I'm a terrible friend!"

"No! It's ok, just... I just, um, think I might be asexual. I don't like doing... that stuff... at least right now. So, uh, Marinette and I... we like to just keep things friendly, you know? And I get enough of cameras the rest of the time, so I didn't react well. Sorry." He stared at the ground.

Alya looked horrified. "Oh, no! I had no idea... I'm so sorry! I promise, I'll stop!"

Adrien looked up and smiled cautiously. "So.... friends?" He stuck his hand out.

"Friends!" Alya declared. "...speaking of which, what happened to Marinette?"

"She'll be along soon. So... what was the plan for the afternoon, again?"

* * *

  
Ladybug and Adrien sat side by side on a picturesque roof, watching the sun go down. "I do wish that cards didn't blow away in the breeze so easily", Adrien was saying. "Any time with you is time worth spending, but it would be nice if we could play games or something togehter sometime."

Ladybug grinned at him. "Might as well wish for Ultimate Mecha Strike while you're at it. I'm not bad, and I hear you're pretty good yourself. Sadly, it works even less well on rooftops." Their cheerful banter was interrupted by a buzzing from Ladybug's yoyo. She pulled it out and opened it to reveal a TV news bulletin.

"...it has just been revealed that today's massive spate of accidents snarling traffic and creating havoc across Paris is actually the result of an akuma! And not a new akuma, either. Vulpina, who once convinced Paris that she was a superhero in the same style as Ladybug and Chat Noir, has returned, and this time, she's found new ways to use her power of illusion. The Mayor has called a press conference to ask Parisians to stay indoors and avoid any potentially dangerous situations..."

Ladybug sighed. "So much for the rest of the sunset. Looks like it's time for me to run." She stood up and reached a hand down to help Adrien to his feet.

Adrien didn't move, staring out over Paris.

"Adrien? I've got to go."

Adrien looked up at her. "Wait." He stood up and turned to Ladybug as she stared at him in confusion. "That's Vulpina again. She's back. And... the last time you fought her, you nearly gave up your miraculous because you thought she had me. She knows that you're vulnerable if she threatens me. And... that was before."

Ladybug looked even more confused. "How....?" But Adrien hadn't finished.

"You were right about how dangerous it is to reveal your identity. But right now, you're in a lot more danger because you don't know *my* identity. I... hadn't really planned on this, but I'd do anything to keep you safe. And besides, if Hawk Moth ever mind-controls you, we have larger problems. So. Um." He took a deep breath, as Ladybug's eyes widened in alarm. "Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug stood with her mouth open, staring at her partner. Chat Noir didn't meet her eyes. "So, um. You probably need a minute, I'll go hold off Vulpina until you get there. Er." Chat Noir reached into a suit pocket and pulled out a small package. "For Tikki. In case you need to refresh. Um. Let's... talk later. Tonight. For now... um... see you soon." Ladybug automatically accepted the little gift and stared down at it as Chat Noir extended his stick and soared off over the rooftops. It was a package of cookies; plastic-wrapped and industrial, but a higher-end brand. The kind that would keep for a long time, just in case, but still be at least decent. She stared down at them, and then back off into the distance where Chat Noir had vanished.

* * *

  
Reflected streetlights competed with the thin crescent moon to provide dim illumination of Ladybug's quiet figure, as she sat and dangled her legs off of the edge of a rooftop and looked out towards the Eiffel Tower. There was a small thump behind her, and Chat Noir crouched down next to her in a pose that would have looked uncomfortable on a human but was somehow reasonable on the semi-feline figure. He looked calm and peaceful, but the constant twitching of his tail and slightly flattened ears revealed his nerves. They sat in silence for a while, until eventually Chat Noir gave in.

"....so. Um. Are you mad at me?"

There was another quiet pause before Ladybug answered. "A little bit. I know I shouldn't be, but I can't help it. I mean... we agreed on how important the secrecy was, so it's not as though you were actively deceiving me. I just feel like a bit of an idiot. And... I can't help but wonder if it all was genuine. Chat Noir is such a jokester, after all... and I would never have imagined that out of Adrien."

Chat Noir's shoulders slumped. "You're my everything, milady. It was all genuine. Always. I only made jokes of it because then I could pretend you weren't really rejecting me. And because I didn't really know what I was doing. Which reminds me, I owe you an apology. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable trying to be romantic, I never meant to pressure you."

Ladybug reached out and gave his shoulder a small squeeze. "I know. I... figured out a lot of connections this evening. I don't *really* doubt you, I just... this is going to take some getting used to." She glanced at him. "I... don't suppose you'd mind dropping the mask? It's irrational, but it's easier for me to talk to Adrien."

"Well, I didn't bring any of my disguises, but for you, my heart, anything. At least for a little while." He retreated into the shadows of a chimney, and released Chat Noir's suit to reveal Adrien's vulnerable-looking eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar silver heart-shaped lock, squeezed it, and offered it on an open hand to Ladybug, not quite meeting her eyes. "This... is yours, milady. Always. If you want me to go..." He swallowed hard and stopped, eyes closed, unable to finish the sentence.

Ladybug's gentle fingers closed his hand around the lock, and wrapped his hand in hers. "Never." Adrien's green eyes looked up to find Ladybug's blue eyes wet with unshed tears. "I love you, remember?" Ladybug gave him a halfhearted smile. "Besides, where would I find another partner half as good? We've barely started training Rena Rouge, remember?"

The green eyes searched hers. "So... you're OK with my being Chat Noir?"

"Well, it'll take some getting used to, but I'll manage." Ladybug grinned slightly. "And you get to make your *own* way up on the rooftops for dates from now on! I suppose I understand now why you were never afraid of heights." She paused. "...can I ask you something, though?"

"Anything."

"So.... you're the least arrogant person I know. Adrien, that is. Even though you have every excuse in the world to be worse than Chloe if you wanted to be. But Chat Noir is totally full of himself. It's the main reason I'd never have thought you were the same person. So... what's different?"

Adrien looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure. It's hard *not* to put on the tomcat swagger in the suit. I just feel on top of the world. It might be because of Plagg; he's certainly one of the most self-important creatures I've ever met."

A small black catline figure with an oversized head came flying out of Adrien's shirt and glared at him. "Oh, so it's *my* fault, is it kid? Just because *you* don't have a proper ego, we'll blame Plagg. Hmph. See if I help *you* transform next time."

Adrien rolled his eyes and pulled a chunk of cheese out of a plastic bag in his pocket. Plagg's eyes widened and the kwami grinned. "Camembert! OK, kid, I suppose I'll keep you around for now."

"Ladybug, meet Plagg. Plagg, Ladybug. Plagg is my kwami, friend, and all-around troublemaker. If you feed him cheese, he'll be your best friend forever."

"Hey! That's totally not true! The cheese is my best friend. The human feeding me is just a secondary relationship." Plagg made a face at Adrien, and then flew up to hover at eye level in front of Ladybug. "Hi! Nice to meet you face to face, although really, I feel like we've known each other forever given how much this one talks about you. And how many of your sappy conversations I've had to sit through. The things I put up with..." Adrien blushed but smiled shyly up at Ladybug. Ladybug grinned back.

"Nice to meet you, Plagg. So... *do* you affect his personality when he's Chat Noir?"

Plagg harumphed. "Only a little. After all, I'm giving him the best of myself, aren't I? It shouldn't be any surprise if a little of my sparkling personality rubs off too. The only reason Tikki doesn't show much is because you're so similar anyway. And besides, Tikki is a total goody-two-shoes and never wants to do anything *fun*. I like to encourage my chosen to enjoy the better things in life!"

Adrien was giving Plagg a funny look. "In other words, the things that I do as Chat Noir that annoy Ladybug are *your* fault?"

"Pshaw, that's such a negative way to think about it. Besides, she fell for you anyway, why are you worried?"

Adrien and Ladybug met each other's eyes and started laughing. Plagg looked offended.

"I suppose I can learn to live with it. At least I understand better now," Ladybug said, grinning. She leaned over and kissed Adrien gently on the cheek, and then leaned back and looked at him. "I should probably get used to seeing you in the mask again before our next fight, if you want to transform back. I don't want to freeze up again like I did earlier. It's dangerous." She sighed. "Although I don't know how I'm going to get used to the idea that *Adrien* has been the one throwing himself in front of me for all this time. Or that I've been putting *Adrien* in danger to distract enemies while I get a plan into place..."

Adrien looked at her thoughtfully. "So you trust Chat Noir to protect you, but you want to protect Adrien? I will point out, my heart, that I've at least once saved you *without* the mask on. I am the same person, after all, Plagg or no Plagg. But we're both a lot safer in our suits, so it's not entirely unreasonable to act like I'm more fragile without one."

Ladybug tilted her head. "I suppose that's a good way to think about it. But I mostly just need to get used to the idea."

"Well, then. Plagg, claws out!" Chat Noir grinned back at her from Adrien's hiding place, his smile somehow wider under the black mask. Ladybug looked at him, and then leaned over and cautiously gave him another kiss, this time on the other cheek. Chat's green eyes lit up and he smiled even more. Ladybug looked at his enthusiastic face and started laughing. Chat harumphed. "You'd be happy too if you'd been waiting this long for a kiss!"

"I suppose." Ladybug smiled, but a moment later the smile rapidly became serious. "...wait. So if Chat Noir is Adrien... that means you're actually *living with* someone who might be working with Hawk Moth? That sounds incredibly dangerous! What if he notices?"

Chat Noir sighed, the happiness running off of his face and his shoulders sagging. "I don't know. I don't think my father can have noticed yet, or I'd be in much bigger trouble, but he's surprised me before. I would *never* have guessed he was hiding *anything* behind that painting of Mother, let alone a missing miraculous and a weird book. Which reminds me-- why didn't you tell me about those? I mean... I'm your partner...." He looked, if anything, even more dejected. Ladybug reached out and pulled him into a hug.

"I was protecting Adrien. Although that sounds a bit silly under the circumstances. I... didn't want Chat Noir knowing about him... er... you... er... " She paused and startd over. "I didn't know how to explain to Chat Noir where I was getting the information without exposing something."

"But where did you find out about the other miraculous? And their being associated with the book?"

Ladybug sighed. "That secret still isn't mine to tell, for the same reason I shouldn't tell you my identity. Even though I feel really, really guilty about that now..."

Chat Noir looked alarmed and sat up out of the hug. "No! Don't! You were right about that before. It's not that I don't want to know, but... it's not worth the risk. Especially if I really *am* living with Hawk Moth."

Ladybug looked at him, eyes suddenly vulnerable. "I'm afraid you'll be mad at me when you find out."

It was Chat Noir's turn to pull Ladybug into a hug. "Never!" She reached up and hugged him back, and they sat there for a moment, just holding each other, before leaning back on the chimney to look up at the stars.

"I still can't believe you actually went on a date with me in public dressed as *yourself*. In hindsight, that was so risky! Tikki would never have let me do something like that."

"Plagg thought it was funny. I think he's a lot more comfortable with risks than it sounds like Tikki is. But there is a reason I tried to find the least accurate costume I could, just to reduce the resemblance."

"I suppose it worked, so I shouldn't complain much. That day was so amazing. I can't regret anything." She squeezed him gently.

  
"Ummm.... milady..." Chat Noir sounded unusually hesitant. "Can... I ask for something? I know it's weird, you can totally say no..."

Ladybug looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

"Um... would you... er.... pet me?" He turned so pink under his black mask that it was visible even in the dim light. "...I know, it's weird, but... I just... um...."

Ladybug giggled. "You really *are* catlike with the mask on, aren't you. Sure. Come here, you silly kitty." She pulled him close, and he curled up next to he r contentedly, head in her lap. She ran her fingers through the soft golden hair and scritched gently behind the leather ears, and Chat relaxed, eyes closed, radiating happiness. A moment later, a deep rumbling came from his curled form. Ladybug stopped scritching and leaned over to look in Chat's face, grinning. "You really *do* purr!" Chat looked alarmed, and then laughed sheepishly.

"Um. Do I? Sorry..."

Ladybug laughed and sat back up to start scritching again. "It's ok. It's actually kind of cute."

"Cute, huh?" Chat smiled, and relaxed back into Ladybug's lap. The purring resumed, and the two heroes sat contentedly, enjoying the night.

* * *

  
"Marinette? Master Fu says it's time."

* * *

Ladybug led Adrien into the peaceful little room and removed his blindfold.

"Hello, Master Fu. I brought Adrien with me, as you asked."

"Chat Noir. It is good to see you again. Would you like some tea? Ladybug, there is tea behind the screen there so Tikki can join us."

Adrien looked longingly at the screen as a brief pink flash indicatedthat the person sitting on the other side was no longer wearing Ladybug's mask, then turned back to Master Fu and bowed as he accepted the tea and sat. He watched, bemused, as a little red-and-black spotted kwami joined Plagg and a small green kwami for their own miniature tea on a table nearby. For once, Plagg wasn't grumbling about a lack of cheese.

After carefully returning the teapot to its tray, Master Fu looked up at Adrien.

"I have looked forward to meeting you properly for some time, Adrien, and I am sorry that it has happened under such circumstances. Unfortunately, we have dark things to discuss, and I need your help.

"I have spent time meditating in connection with the peacock kwami, and although there is a limit to how much it can tell me, I can see that its last wielder was a tall blond woman with green eyes, who looked much like you. And that there was pain in the end.

"I am sorry to have to ask you this, Adrien, but... what do you know about your mother's disappearance?"

\--- to be continued ---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the cliffhanger, this fic is complete. Feedback from this one will be integrated into the sequel.
> 
> Also, folks, don't be Alya, and don't be our lovable but boundary-free couple here. Boundaries are important, and nobody should feel obliged to do *anything* they're not comfortable in a relationship, ever. No excuses required. Lots of folks really aren't comfortable with physical affection or physical affection in public, and it is *not* necessarily a sign of lack of love, romance, or physical attraction. Respect their choices. Also, pretending to be a sexuality you aren't is a bad idea for all kinds of reasons, and if you and your friends/family have healthy boundaries, you'll never need to. The author does *not* condone all character choices, even when they're the 'good guys'.


End file.
